For the appetizer, try samosas (potato fritters), with tamarind chutney.
Really? The restaurants I frequent, they are two different dishes - the butter chicken being a much thicker, buttery sauce and tikka masala being tomato based.
I love that Chicken Tikka Masala has become more popular in the UK than even fish & chips. Eddie Izzard hosted a wonderful series in the UK called Mongrel Nation, about how everything thought of as “British” was actually from elsewhere.
I’ll second the idea of visiting and Indian buffet for lunch first (the dinner ones tend to be mediocre - at least in Chicago) and getting a basic familiarity with the cuisine. Just note that the buffet versions usually tend to be mild. A lamb Vindaloo on a buffet is not the same as the one on the dinner menu.
Monkey chutney? 
I just finished eating some Vegetable Korma (as I prefer creamy foods to spicy) with a side of Garlic Naan and Regular Naan (i love my naan- 1 is not enough for 2 people). And I got a side order of samosas too.
And now I’m full because i ate too much. -_-
But it was worth it! Oh… my tummy… full of too much delicious food.
PS: Butter Chicken is kinda a “weak” dish over here- it’s got a reputation of being the dish to order when you’re unfamiliar with the menu, or you’re like… 5 years old. It shouldn’t really be a problem, but to some people it can come off as “unadventurous” as it’s like going to an Italian restaurant and just getting the fettuccine Alfredo. I mean, yeah it’s good and all, but it’s a pretty basic dish in the end. I’m not really a fan of it.
Live a little! Go for the Tandoori grill if you’re unsure of the spices/flavors but you like meat dishes, and you still want to look a bit more adventurous. It’s all good stuff in the end.
Kheer. Kheeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr… nomnomnom
I recommend not having any soda with your meal. At least for me, Indian food + Soda = barf. I like getting lamb curry with a lot of rice and some naan on the side.
Many good suggestions here. My personal faves:
If they offer you mutton rolls, do take them.
-
Mutter paneer. When made well, it’s not just the best Indian food, it’s probably the best food period. Fried ricotta, cashews, spices…heart attack on a plate.
-
Chicken curry (though it may be too hot for you).
-
Tandoori chicken, although home made is better.
-
Chicken biriyani
-
Chicken tikka masala.
Many of these are probably made with beef, lamb, shrimp, etc. as well.
Enjoy the basmati rice but definitely score some naan.
I skip all the desserts…they’re pretty cloying, to my taste.
No, but it’s a good close comparison for a noob to Indian food.
No matter what, never ever, ever say to the waiter at an Indian or Thai resturant “So, I hear your cuisine can be pretty spicy. I’d like to try it at a level that you would consider ‘hot’ please”
You will spit your food across state lines.
Quite possibly true. The woman from Mumbai who made it for me used ricotta, however.
Everyone’s made good suggestions. I love Indian food. But here are some things to watch out for:
Goat. Dishes with goat tend to have the bone still inside several of the cuts, which could come as a surprise to the unwary and leave things messy.
Ordering too much: Most dishes are served in what looks like a small stew bowl and you’ll look at it and say “what? That’s it?” But with Nan and rice and random appetizers that you may get served, trust me, you’ll be stuffed. You won’t get through that “small” main course bowl.
There are a lot of really great foods that make your breath smell really horribly. Watch out for that, especially on your first date.
Um…actually I’m drawing a blank on too much that can go wrong with Indian. I want Indian food now.
But it’s so damn tasty! Goat, lamb and rabbit are the three meats the American diet could use a lot more.
Order garlic naan and insist that you both eat it. It will leave you both with breath that can remove barnacles from the hull of a ship…but at least you’ll smell the same.
Silly boy … if you don’t order too much, how in the world will you ever have leftovers? 
I have the opposite problem. There are certain dishes I like blazingly hot (Thai holy basil chicken, for instance.) I have to beg, scream, and plead with them to make it as hot as I want it, and, still, it often takes me about three visits to the same restaurant before they really believe me.
Strictly speaking, they’re two different dishes (butter chicken, makhanwala, is the original, and it was modified and called tikka masala for British colonists), but they are similar (I have cooked both), and in American cuisine they’ve sort of converged. At some places, they’re interchangeable, and as far as this thread is concerned, for the newbie, they might as well be the same dish.
Anyway. So, Fish, how’d it go?
Well, I ordered chicken coconut curry (mild: and it was too mild, I could’ve used more heat) served with rice, some garlic naan (half of which was leftovers), and some veggie samosas. Oh … and kheer for dessert. I have no idea how to pronounce any of ‘em but they’re good eatin’.
Oh, and the date was great too — we were there about 2 hours talking and split the check.
Mmmm…kheeeeerrrrr…
Me too. I’m suddenly feeling the downside of working from home four days a week; the Indian restaurant across the street from my office … is in another county. 