Indian History Lesson Heritage India Offers Refined Cooking, Appealing Atmosphere by Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana To enter Heritage Indiaís newest restaurant in downtown Bethesda, Md., you pass through a beautifully enameled pressed-tin door to be greeted by a large colorful portrait of a royal warrior from the earliest period of English occupation of India. As with its downtown Washington, D.C., and European sister restaurants, owners Seth Tuli and Sanjeev Sudhir have worked hard to make the decor and atmosphere as appealing as the food. The large store-front windows are covered with delicately carved white-washed panels, which also divide the main dining room from service areas. The banquets are in a color fabric with an intricate design that echoes the design of the panels and the doors. The walls are covered with a fascinating and eclectic collection of art that can turn your dining experience into an interesting illustrated lesson in Indian history. Jockeying for space on the walls are large and detailed prints of famous Indian battles, copies of old sepia photographs of tiger hunting parties, 19th-century maps of British holdings in the India n subcontinent, and beautifully detailed hand-tinted historic illustrations of famous buildings that have become well known as tourist spots. The attention Tuli and Sudhir have paid to the interior has created a richly textured atmosphere that mirrors the culinary experience diners will find. Although the focus of the menu is on Northern Indian dishes, the great variety on the menu offers choices from all regions of the country. Many of the usual favorites are there as well as a number of unusual choices. The menu offers a nice selection of appetizers, including well-executed standards such as vegetarian ($4.95) and lamb (4.95) samosas and vegetable fritters ($4.50). More unusual are the seafood choices. Heritage offers an excellent sautÈed calamari ($5.25), striking with flavors of lemon and coconut. The jingha salad ($6.95)ólarge sautÈed shrimp that have been tossed in a spicy sesame oil dressing and served on a generous pile of mesclunówas delicious and packed a bit of a punch. The menu offers several categories of main plates, tandoori specialties, curries and vegetarian dishes. Heritageís northern influence can be seen in the extent of tandoori dishes offered. Chicken, lamb, fish, shrimp, vegetables and even cheese are available cooked in the very hot clay oven that gives this type of dish its name. One of the most unusual of these dishes was the kandahari shimla mirch ($9.50), a green pepper stuffed with vegetables, fruits and nuts and grilled in the tandoor oven. The grilled shrimp, tandoori jhinga ($17.95), was another excellent choice. The large shrimp were moist, tender, and well seasonedóand a bit spicy. For those unable to choose from among the many options, Heritage offers grill platters, either meat ($16.95) or vegetable ($12.95), including samplings of a number of the grilled dishes. Heritage offers a variety of curried specialties. One of the most interesting and delicious of the chicken dishes was the Coorgi murgh ($11.95), a dish from Coorg in the southwestern part of the country. Boneless chunks of chicken are cooked with crushed peppercorn and herbs in a rich and aromatic sauce with a coconut flavor. Another good bet was the lamb vindaloo ($12.95). The dish was a wonderful balance of pungent spices and vinegar. It was fiery hot and gets more so as it sits, thanks to large chunks of fresh hot peppers. In an interesting departure from many other Indian restaurants in the area, most main dishes were served in glazed earthenware serving pieces, each with its own heat source. The pieces are Khurjaware, a specialty of the small industrial town of Khurja in north central India. The approach allowed you to linger over a meal without that disappointing experience of going for a last bite only to find it has gone cold. Heritage India is a especially good choice for those wanting meatless dishes, and vegetarian dishes are spread throughout the menu. The vegetarian specialties include tasty versions of favorites such as aloo gobi masala ($8). Our favorite was the palak makai ($8.50), a very rich and thoroughly satisfying spinach and corn dish. The richly creamed spinach, corn and subtle spices made a wonderful contrast with the vindaloo. Another interesting choice was the kurkuri bhindi ($8). Okra, cooked crisp, was tossed with onion and served with mango powder, which imparted a slightly sweet and fruity flavor. We thought this one worked very well with the Coorgi murgh. You will not want to miss the dishes that the menu has called accompaniments, some of which can make a meal in and of themselves. A dal dish, the ma ki dal ($7.50) comes as a great surprise for those who expect dal to be a simple, mild side dish. The black lentils were cooked in cream and butter and seasoned with a bit more than the usual degree of spice. The dish contrasted rich and spicy flavors in a novel way, making it justifiably one of the house specialties. After the taste experience that the savory dishes offered, a cool and soothing dessert was in order. And there were several to choose from. A favorite was the kulfi ($5.50), a rich homemade ice cream dish with honey syrup. The kheer ($4) was a traditional rice pudding flavored with almonds and saffron, and the gulab jamun ($4.50) was a soft ball-shaped fried dumpling in a pool of rose-flavored syrup. When we exited through the elaborately designed pressed-tin door we felt we left with a little bit of an education in history and cooking from this complex and rich country. Heritage India is at 4931 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, Md. The telephone number is (301) 656-3373. The kitchen is open for lunch every day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Dress is urban casual. All major credit cards are accepted. Rachel Hunt and Stephen Qualiana are the restaurant reviewers for The Washington Diplomat.