When I met my New Delhi-born husband Rahul a little more than 10 years ago, Diwali wasn’t yet a big part of my life. But now I can’t imagine fall without it. The “Festival of Lights,” which generally falls in October or November according to the lunar calendar, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness—and has become one of my favorite times of the year in New York. It’s sparkly, festive, glowy, fun… just a supremely joyous holiday. And there is no better place to experience that Diwali joy than at one of NYC’s best Indian restaurants—especially now.

Over the past few years, the city has been undergoing a bit of an Indian food renaissance, with a new crop of restaurants serving incredible Indian dishes the way they’re actually prepared in India. Authentic spots were quite hard to fi

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