I had just flown back to Johnson City from a trip to Fort Lauderdale. I’m not a fan of flying and, as usual, when I de-planed, I felt an overwhelming elation that I hadn’t in fact died in a fiery plane crash. Exiting the airport I got the sense that I stared down Fate and she blinked. It was time to celebrate!

There was only one place to go: Sahib. Sahib is the best Friday night dinner out when you want to relax and enjoy good food.

For a long time I couldn’t eat Indian food. I think I can trace it back to an over-curried tofu scramble way, way too early in the morning. Around the same time, I was going through a relentless Thai food craze, even dabbling in Malaysian food for a while. The Siren call of those smooth, slow-simmered green curries in coconut milk distracted me from every other kind of Asian food.

I haven’t found a really good Thai place in this area and so my craving has waned over the years. But as luck would have it, Jeff and I stumbled across this great Indian restaurant and my focus has shifted once again.

It was about three or four years ago. We were driving around looking for food and happened to see a sign off the highway. (I should probably tell you now that Sahib is hidden back behind the Day’s Inn off of Roan Street. To get to it you have to turn into the hotel and then swoop back to where the pool is.)

We decided to check it out because we had never seen it before. I think it was their first night open for business. We’ve been hooked ever since.

The inside of the restaurant is beautiful with these huge paintings hanging on the walls and Indian music playing. Sometimes they have the piano guy performing, which is fun too because he takes requests.

We decided to get the veggie samosas for an appetizer and the lamb naram-garam and navrattan korma to share. We’ve tried just about everything on the menu and you can’t go wrong, even if you just close your eyes and point. If you are the adventurous type, ask your server what’s good that day.

Their recommendations al- ways work out. Other dishes that I’ve liked are the Baingan Burtha (eggplant), the Bhuni Bhindi (okra) and the Malai Kofta (mixed veggies). If you’re a lamb fan, the Lamb Pasanda is great. The chicken Vindaloo and Saag Wala are favorites too. (OK, I admit it, part of the fun is just saying those words out loud.)

The dish that’s fun for everyone is the Tandoori. That’s the one that they light on fire at your table. We’ve only ordered it once, but that night three other tables ordered it and we got quite a show.

In terms of spiciness, it’s hard to advise, that’s such a personal decision. Their medium really is medium and not super spicy. The spicy is spicy, if that is your taste. I’ve never had the mild because I like spicy food.

We ate, we talked, we laughed and I felt alive. We even took home leftovers for lunch the next day. I was happy to be on the ground and enjoying Indian food again. So worth the wait.

Sahib is located at 2312- Brown’s Mill Road. For more information, visit www.sahibsindianrestaurant.com.

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