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Decatur: Chopaati

Chopaati is one of the restaurants in Patel Plaza. It specializes in South Indian food, which bears quite some resemblance to Southern cuisine. It's fried to withstand hot weather. (I haven't been there, but I take it that a South Indian summer makes Georgia look like Alaska.) It's also quite spicy. Of course, it's also vegetarian, quite a departure from the pig-worshipping South. The atmosphere of Chopaati is very casual, reminiscent of a Southern cafeteria.
My first dish to come out was the Mysore Masala dosa. It's a thin, spicy lentil crepe with potatoes. It reminded me of BBQ potato chips---crispy and suffused with red, spicy pepper powder. Dosas are very filling, great comfort food.
I also had something I've never had before, paneer tikka. It's paneer (cottage cheese squares) prepared in a tandoor oven with tandoor spices. The paneer is definitely cooked, chewy but not too dry. The spicy hot sauce gave it quite a bit of zing and a very rich flavor. Chopaati on Urbanspoon
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