recently for nrw we wanted to keep things a little bit more casual, and as i drove home from disco kroger that sunday before, my eyes glanced left at the intersection of piedmont and lenox and there, right before me, was exactly where we would go that week:  naanstop.

i’d been dying to go there ever since they opened last year, and considering kyle, kari, and clark had already been and didn’t mind going back, it seemed like it’d be a win.  phillip and i met kyle and kari there at 7:30 sharp, and since it was still light out, i insisted we take a picture in front of the sign.  perfection!

clark had described naanstop as an indian chipotle, and as phillip held the door open for me and i walked in, i realized he was exactly right.

first, get in line.

next, pick if you want a wrap, bowl, or salad.

then decide what your filling will be.  so many good things, how can we choose just one?!

finally, pick your chutney.  it’s really a sauce/dressing to top your selections.  get crazy!  heck, if they’ll allow it, maybe mix and match.

at last you can choose some sides and drinks.  per kyle and kari’s recommendation, we ordered some garlic naan, a great carbohydrate supplement to what would end up being a great meal.

we grabbed a table, and as i took a look at everyone’s meals, i was excited to dig into my kabob bowl with basmati rice, onions, peppers, spinach, and cool chutney.  the meat was tender and juicy, and the cool chutney was a classic choice that didn’t overpower the rest of the bowl.  i would gladly order it again, but i would probably ask for double spinach.  can’t get enough of those leafy greens!

next to me, phillip had a lamb naanwich on garlic naan with peppers, onions, spinach, and sweet chutney.  he started ripping the foil off in ravenous fashion when i stopped him just in time.  “phillip, the sign said not to unwrap it!”  and sure enough, he just started laughing at himself because not five minutes earlier he had taken a picture of the very sign that tells you not to unwrap the naanwich but rather to just peel the foil off as you eat.  silly boy!

yes, that’s more like it.  🙂

across from me, now, kyle had what i think might have been my favorite bite of the night:  the regular samosa.  i took one taste and couldn’t stop myself from saying, “ooh, baby, that is the stuff.”  the flavors were so wonderful and the pastry so flaky that it wasn’t until a few minutes later i finally realized why i loved it so much; it reminded me exactly of the green thai curry pie at panbury’s.  as i was sitting there thinking about panbury’s and savoring the eats of my first naanstop experience, i was in food heaven.

at naanstop they’ve got a lot going for them.  besides a simple concept, the food is quite fresh and handmade, things that make me feel much better about eating out rather than sweating like a wildebeest in my tiny, hot kitchen making dinner.

the only thing i ask naanstop work on before i return?  that water dispenser at the soda fountain!  it was taking its sweet time, a slight inconvenience for thirsty patrons.