Eating authentically prepared food lets you taste the very essence of a country and draws far fewer angry glares than chewing on its national flag. Enjoy traditional eats while avoiding tableside altercations with today's Groupon to Zaafaran. Choose between the following options:

• For $20, you get $40 worth of Thai and Indian dinner cuisine.
• For $10, you get $20 worth of Thai and Indian lunch cuisine.

Thai and Indian influences act as the epicurean muses for chefs at Zaafaran, where fresh, healthy ingredients compose exotic entrees. The dinner menu invites guests to strap on their tongues' waders and discover seafood-fraught dishes such as the crab singapore, a stir-fried jumble of lump crab steeped in Singapore-style gravy ($20), or the saag tadka curry, where swells of tumeric yogurt and cream surge across sautéed spinach ($9).

Conquer lunchtime appetites or fears of vegetables by noshing the sweet-and-sour tikka white fish topped with tomato chutney and cabbage herb salad in tandoori spices ($10). Pad thai hoodwinks midday munchies with a traditional medley of rice noodles, bean sprouts, chili, egg, and roasted peanuts ($10, add chicken for $2 or shrimp for $4). Zaafaran's hunger haven greets diners with a crimson reception area that opens into a chic dining room dotted with white linens, simple place settings, and hardwood floors that alternate with ebony slates. A lounge area stuffed with plush couches and chairs cradles patrons as they sip or osmose potables.

Though Zaafaran sometimes features discounts with other third-party websites, today's Groupon still offers the best deal available.