On the table: Chutney Joe's

Update: Chutney Joe's is slated to open February 2.

Despite the initial knee-jerk reaction one might have from the chain-ready look of this soon-to-open quick-serve Indian spot in the Loop, Chutney Joe's was not an idea cooked up by some suits with a folder of market research, money to burn and an eye on replicating, replicating, replicating. In fact, co-owner Aatish Puniani (who is, by the way, first-generation Indian) was working as a photographer in New York and Chicago when he and his brother-in-law Scott Schwarz decided to take the plunge into the restaurant biz with the one concept they say this city lacks: Good, fast, cheap Indian food. It's never taken that long for me to get my tray of bhel puri or samosa chaat at Sukhadia or any of Devon's other chaat houses, but Puniani and Schwarz are thinking in terms of Loop-lunch-style spots, and they're right that there is a void to fill. They hope to do it with "you-pick-two"-style combos, where basmati rice and naan come with your choice of chicken masala, lamb rogan josh, mattar paneer and a few more options. The menu is seriously streamlined, and Puniani says his father Vijay had a hand in the recipes, with meats that are slow-roasted overnight and toasted spices, ground in-house. Sounds promising. Come January 25, we'll see.

Chutney Joe's, 511 S State St between Congress Blvd and Harrison St (312-341-9755). El: Red to Harrison. Bus: 2, 6, 10, 29, 32, 62 (24hrs), 146. Lunch, dinner. Average main course: $8.