The Early Word on American Tandoor in Tysons Corner

American Tandoor opened in Tysons Corner a little more than three weeks ago. Owner Karan Singh, who grew up in the United States and northern India, recruited Satinder Vij to helm the kitchen as chef de cuisine.

The restaurant specializes in Indian cuisine with an American influence. This includes samosas filled with sweet potato and marshmallow and saag paneer made with Jack and white cheddar cheeses.

But how are diners reacting to the fusion dishes? The restaurant already has 42 Yelp reviews with an overall rating of three and a half stars. Read on for the early word on American Tandoor:

The Really Neat Atmosphere News: Yelper Anne L. writes, "The atmosphere is really fun and lively - not like your typical Indian restaurant," and Yelper Hassan K. says it’s "cool." Facebook member Jacob Heltzel calls the atmosphere "really neat."  [Yelp, FB]

The Mango Swizzle News: Yelper Jay T. states, "the mango cocktail was very good." Instagram user gretchenpow says of the drink, "it's basically like an alcoholic mango lassi. In love." [Yelp, Instagram]

The Too Salty To Eat News: Open Table poster Mjoon writes, "the lamb chops…were too salty to eat" and DCChica says, "The food was delicious but a bit too salty." Yelper J J.writes, "Pork Vindaloo need to change the salt in this one...Nearly blew my head off with the amount of salt in this." [OT, Yelp]

The Overcooked and Undercooked News: Yelper Vincent R. says, "tandoori lobster was over cooked and the shrimp prawns were undercooked." Yelper Radhi R. also says, "Totally disappointed. I had to return 3 out of 4 appetizers because it was either not cooked or the taste was horrible!!" Yelper Vinita G. and several others mentioned their chicken was pink in the middle, but a server explained the color was due to their brining process. [Yelp]

The Pleasant Chicken Tikka News: Despite the debate over the color of the chicken, diners seem to like the chicken tikka. Yelper Ella R. writes, "We both enjoyed the chicken tikka masala - it had great, fresh flavors and a pleasant spiciness." Yelper Shirin K. says it’s "very good" and Yelper D. H. calls it "delicious." [Yelp]

The Amazing Shrimp and Grits News: American Tandoor offers a fusion shrimp and grits dish flavored with Indian spices. An Open Table poster calls it "outstanding." Yelper Vuong D. also writes, "Strangely enough they had amazing shrimp and grits. The real grits, not that instant stuff." [OT, Yelp]

The Polarizing Dal News: Northern Virginia magazine writes of Mother's 24-hour dal, "It’s hearty and comforting, sharing similar feel-good properties as chicken noodle soup." but Yelper Carolyn C. says, "The dal was not very good. How can you ruin lentils??" and Yelper J J. says "Dal was like water. WORST we have ever tasted." [NoVa, Yelp]

The Not Extraordinary But Good Samosas News: The restaurant has been getting attention for its sweet potato and marshmallow samosas, served as a sampler plate with the more traditional potato and chicken fillings. Yelper LanChi N. writes, "I think flavor wise they were all good...nothing extraordinary but good." Yelper Kaitlin C. calls the samosas "amazing," and Yelper Ayerun L. says the warm spiced chicken was actually his favorite variety. [Yelp]