The Craving

Have you ever had The Craving? You know what I mean, it’s some odd time of day and you see something on television, a familiar smell hits, or someone mentions a foodstuff you haven’t thought of in a good while. And BAM! The Craving. It comes up on you before you know it, and it doesn’t relent, no matter how much you try to take your mind off of it, play tricks, recite mantras. Doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas day or Sunday afternoon, The Craving respects no hours of operations, state of being, or handicap. It chews up your palate and spits it out into a canyon with high walls that you can’t possibly climb out of, leaving you to drown in a sea of longing for that one unique, singular, incredible taste.

Two weeks ago, I got it. I got it bad. A rough week of business and responsibilities ended with a Friday of rest and relaxation with my good friend Viva Pinata, but after hours of raising Mexican-inspired creatures to send to a tasty baseball-bat fate, I began to hunger. Did I hunger for candy? No. Was it Greek or Italian that taunted my senses? Not today, my friend. It was the newly familiar acquaintance that I’ve been learning about and exploring through its wild world: Indian cuisine. Dreams of saag paneer danced in my brain, samosas ran across my vision, and I could taste the tikka masala in my tongue as I left the house.

So I hit the road. First stop, Raja on Peachtree, whose vegetable-and-potato-deliciousness I had enjoyed previously for a lunch outing. Prior to leaving, I had made sure to check online for what I thought to be Indian places open all afternoon, since it was almost 4pm, but jumping out of the car I notice *oh no!* Raja was closed. Ok, that’s fine, sometimes rating websites don’t have accurate hours. So I hit the road for Smyrna and Swapna (my standard Indian fare). Guess what? Closed.

An hour later, dejected and upset after touring around town looking for open Indian food, I gave up and went Hawaiian (Waikikie on Briarcliff), which was delicious as always, but ultimately unfulfilling for my needs. The Craving remained with me until the next day, when it was fulfilled at Swapna to the delight of my taste buds.

I know what you’ll say, “But Stegosaur, Zyka was open!” Yes, but I’m not a huge fan of Zyka, and prefer my Indian food in a restaurant with waiters most times, not a glorified takeout window. It makes me sad, but every other Indian restaurant in metro Atlanta is closed from 3.30 to 5pm. God forbid I ever get a 3am craving for Indian like I do with Korean….

Note: Zyka is a good place, but I’m looking for other Indian places with long/odd hours, any suggestions?

~Stegosaurus