When people throw you a surprise party, it means they care about you. Which is great. But there’s also the unsettling realization that your friends are really good liars, plus the possibility that you actually hate surprises. When you’re not in the mood for the unexpected, the last thing you want is a curveball. The good news is that dinner at The Spice Room in Logan Square is pretty much the opposite of a surprise party.

This isn’t the kind of place that has 73 different menus a year, and devastates you by getting rid of your favorite dish. The food at The Spice Room stays both consistent and consistently excellent. And that’s just one reason this place is a reliable go-to. It’s also casual (but still nice enough for date night) and BYOB, so your biggest concern about a meal here will be if the market across the street still has the Shiraz you really like.

The menu is overwhelmingly long, and there are no bad choices - everything has tons of flavor, so even the really spicy dishes don’t get overshadowed by the heat. Like the lamb vindaloo that has a perfect balance of chile and vinegar, or the complex (and very spicy) pav bhaji, which is like a delicious vegetarian sloppy joe. Milder dishes are great, too - for example, the fantastic and not-too-heavy chicken tikka masala. And the malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in a cashew sauce) is the kind of comfort food that will make you feel better after finding out your friends have been lying to you for weeks about taking you to a spelling bee to celebrate your 30th.

The more you like something, the scarier it is to realize you might lose it (just ask anyone who was a fan of Bunheads before it got cancelled). Thankfully, the Spice Room is dependable - you’ll always find your favorite dishes, and they’ll always be up to the same high standard. Unlike your so-called friends who organized that party, it’s never going to give you any unwelcome surprises - which is ideal, because when something is this good, you don’t want it to change anyway.