An Indian restaurant tucked into Tysons Corner Center

Perhaps you walk by Sunglass Hut in Tysons Corner Center, but never look past the Auntie Anne's and frozen yogurt shop.I never walked down the aisle until recently when American Tandoor started handing out samples of its food in an area where no shopper could miss the aroma of Indian spices. After gobbling a small sample, I marked this restaurant as a must-try the next time I craved Indian.My mom, sister and I gathered for our yearly spring shopping trip the same weekend as NYX's opening celebrations. A long line filled with girls and women waited to enter the store and purchase products (wait, isn't this the same stuff in drugstores?!). After looking at the line, we decided to nix (ha!) our plan to go into the shop and headed upstairs to American Tandoor.The eatery's interior embodied a rustic setting with wired light bulbs hanging amongst large silver and matte black lamps. A painted cylinder added the perfect pinch of color amongst the wooden tables and set tables.To be fair, my mom invited my two friends and Justin to join for lunch. This led to tons of dishes, but everything tasted outstanding. For appetizers, we ate garlic naan and naan with three spread, yellow chickpea, spicy red lentil and dal makhani.Crispy kale and palak came as our "healthy" appetizer, and the fried spinach mixed with green, blue cheese, Asian Pair and a tangy sauce made eating vegetables worthy of its cause. Below is the tamarind ribeye that comes with a side of butter, but it's not necessary to add it onto the cooked meat since it comes of plenty of juice and flavor. After trying the baked cauliflower, we instantly knew to order another because it came with flavors that we all wanted a second bite. Justin doesn't even enjoy this vege, but he loved this dish!Onto the entrees! Above is the butter chicken with a side of rice. It's a creamy, classic taste that will make you want to lick the inside of the bowl. The Singapore noodles (below) looked as beautiful as it tasted. The bright yellow peppers against the carbs, mixed with sautéed cabbage, scallions and onions added the pinch of Asian flavor necessary for my tastebuds.The final dish necessary at American Tandoor: a dosa. The long crepe is filled with Indian spiced potatoes and peas and served with coconut and mango chutneys and a sambhar spiced butternut squash. I thought all the goods would make the pancake soggy, but it surprisingly kept itself together.After stuffing our faces, we ended with a sticky toffee pudding. The warm cake topped with a sweet, but salty toffee sauce that we scraped the plate for every last bit. The vanilla ice cream always adds a nice warm to cold component to all desserts. American Tandoor brings Indian flavors in a contemporary, American setting making it a must-try addition to your list of NoVA restaurants. I'll be back for its buffet brunch, but I hope to see you there for lunch or dinner! American Tandoor is located at 4943B Tysons Corner Center.