Dawat

The noble goat gets a bad rap, but it's not all his fault: artists just started drawing his lower half onto Satan without asking, and no one likes being called "Billy" unless it's followed by "Baldwin". Here to restore the long-suffering ruminant's cred, Dawat.

Just opened by a first-time Cambridge-based restaurateur, Dawat offers an eight-item Ode to Goat alongside other upscale traditional Indian cuisine in a refined 26-table space that features dark wood cabinetry and photographs of India and Bangladesh, as if you could tell the difference. Can-eating entrees include Dhansak, a Parsee concoction of goat, lentils, cinnamon, red chiles, coconut milk, and cardamom; the mild creamy sauce-covered Shahi Korma w/ cardamom, almond paste, ginger root, and nuts; and the yogurt, onion, fresh ginger, and garlic-infused Rogan Josh, who knows a lot less about submission holds than Rogan, Joe. Other, non-billy highlights include beef or lamb Gosht Saag prepared w/ fresh spinach and spices, Gobbi Aloo (spicy mash-up of cauliflower, potato, onion, and tomato), and a coconut milk, curry leaf and mustard seed chicken dish called Murgh Madras -- spill some on your shirt, and gain instant croquet tourney access.

If you prefer a different kind of sauced, Dawat's got a 28-bottle wine list, as well as Indian beers like Taj Mahal and Kingfisher, which has suffered its own unfair bad rap for its name's subtle linkage to Robin Williams.