vivin

I guess I am not in the minority any more. My one and only time to GT was - good, but whatever. Apart from a couple of very good appetizers and friendly, laid back service, nothing memorable. The desserts were especially disappointing given that expectations were sky high. I am very picky about desserts. And the ones at GT just were not up to the high standard set else where. Good food for a fair price. vivin.

Thanx for the reports. It is great to see so many people who have gone to a restaurant that receives such diverse reviews as JG within a couple of weeks of each other (and had the same dishes, more or less). So let me ask all of you who went recently (or in before) - Where would you rank JG among its competition (defined as those that charge 150+ per head for dinner). I have been to JG four times and this last time was certainly the most enjoyable. However, I still rank it below other restaurants in the city in terms of pure yumminess of food. B+. Very imaginative cooking and nice atmosphere that is somewhat countered by lack of value. But I would go back in a few months (by then, hopefully, the tasting menu has changed).

The flatbreads I miss most from the subcontinent are the ones my mom used to make when I was growing up. She would make these mostly for lunch as they retain their shape, texture and, largely, their taste as well. They are variations on traditional Punjabi parathas. Everyone seems to have had Aloo (potato) filled parathas. How many have had any of the following (AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHERE CAN WE GET THESE IN NYC)? Other stuffings included: Gobhi (cauliflower) Mooli (Raddish) Jeera (cumin) Onion Methi (??) Mooli patta (bitter greens of raddish) Paneer (cheese) Dal (cooked lentils of all kinds worked into the dough) etc etc I especially miss the more exotic ones. Making all kinds of parathas is an art I think unique to punjabi culture and our mothers have the touch that makes the plainest of parathas so special. In the same way that South Indian mothers can make dosas that make you cry out with disbelief. Another flatbread for the list. I neeeeeeed to take a trip home to see my mom. Vivin

I think Suvir's idea has a lot of merit. I had some very good monkfish (albeit a long time ago) at Lakruwana, a kick ass Sri Lankan place on 44th and 10th (or 9th). Steven, you might want to check if they are still around. Their version of veggie biryani (forget the exact name) I can still taste and smell after 5 years. vivin

Cathy, you were there on Fri night too? that is a coincidence. I was there from 8-12. I think they changed around my lineup of the summer menu because I am allergic to all shellfish . vivin

Cathy, I skipped the marshmallows. By the time I got to them, I was full (having also eaten some of my wife's food). Too much food and drink for a Friday night. The miniature merigues (sp??) were OK. I think my exotic dessert sampler was a little different than you described. My wife had the lobster and thought it to be overcooked. On the other hand, the arctic char with bitter greens you describe sounds delicious.

Let me add my experience to the one written about above. Friday night, I went to JG for the fourth time. Previous times, the experience had been not very impressive. $20 lunches should be discounted. OR maybe I made the mistake of not ordering the right dishes. This time however, they served up some kick ass food - we did tasting menus all around). 1) Amuse - A piece of foie gras with Dolce de leche (sp?) ice cream that was dreamy. Two types of water melon + dollop of goat cheese + sprinkle of black pepper = yummy little delight. Tomato gelee that was ok. 2) Slices of foie with toasted pistachios, rock salt crystals and puree of strawberry - the strawberry did not work as well with the foie but the rest of the concoction lit up my palate 3) white asparagus with morrel mushroom sauce with morrel mushrooms. This was just blah! no taste. one off dish of the night. 4) Summer vegetables in dill broth - hints of Thailand and the tropics in this excellent soup. 5) Slow grilled halibut with chopped up roasted peppers of various kinds. Excellent. more intellectual than heart warming though. 6) some kind of white fish that had been pounded thin with some white wine sauce. good. 7) veal - I was full and could not finish the veal that was pretty good. 8) dessert sampler - exotic - not eye opening but had two items - chilled fruit soup and a cookie atop pashion fruit putdding like substance that were very good. All in all a very good meal. Excpectations were very low going in though. The wine bottle we ordered ($140) was a chardonnay that did not open up for the 2.5 hrs I let it sit. Not worth the money at all. Champagne was nice. Service was very good.

My favorite pasanda is chicken pasanda - substitute chicken for paneer for me any day in any dish. vivin

These items are always a hit with veggies: Big cheese cubes marinated (tandoori style, simple ginger-garlic-yoghurt etc). Whole mushrooms (same treatment) Ground up veggies on skewers (like seekh kababs but with veggies) whole roasted small potatoes corn - grilled (not foil wrapped) of course hope this helps... vivin

Great. I will ask my dad how it is made at his restaurant. Even in Delhi there is not a lot of people who order it. I have had it in Jackson Heights (Afghani restaurant) and Bukhara in NYC. It was pretty good. Vivin

My favorite mutton dish is Burra Kabab. Proabably because my dad used to like it so much. He is a red meat kind of guy. I do not have a good recipe for this though. And I would not even know which parts work best. Any ideas? Have a lot of people had this dish? Seems kind of scarce around here and scarcer still is a good rendition of this classic dish from north western province in Pakistan. Another related mutton dish is mutton roasted on hot stones (marble ??) that is, I think, native of the Sindh province. Lightly seasoned. Very very good. vivin.

Suvir, I have been searching for "Dakshin" for a while. Have not found it. Keep looking I guess..

Suvir, Thanx for the recipes. These are great. Your chicken makhani sounds very close to my dad's current recipe. vivin

Polly You are on the dot. That is essentially what the original butter chicken was. They started to add other ingredients to it. Even then, the butter chicken (with the tomato based sauce) that is such a hit in his restaurant has a lot less ingredients than the chicken tikka masala variants here in the US. The secret is in using fresh made tomato sauce (reduced over slow heat), marinated chicken roasted in a tandoor, fresh ingredients and final preparation that takes place when you order. Use of ketchup, canned tomato sauce, flour instead of cream, other spices just takes away from the dish, in my opinion. Overnight marination is key. Only use chicken with bone in. Does not work well with boneless. Just does not stand up to all the cooking. The other big (AND I MEAN HUGE) difference in taste is the flavor of the chicken itself. Maybe Suvir can shed some light on what type of chicken (free range etc) he prefers in his cooking. Off the shelf grocery strore chicken won't get you far. vivin.

More on butter chicken: I have had an extensive exposure to this dish. My dad's uncle's restaurant was famous for it in the 50s to the 70s in Delhi. From what my dad tells me that the original version (as it came from the Punjab state of present day Pakistan) was pretty much a dry chicken dish (grilled in a Tandoor after marination). The butter part is what made it butter chicken. I do not remember much about the taste - I will ask my dad if anyone is interested. Then in the 50s, at my dad's uncle place in Delhi (Moti Mahal) they started to make it in a tomato based curry. The basic recipe is what Suvir describes above. The current version in my dad's restaurant (famous all over Delhi) has the curry that is much simpler but marination is more involved. The chicken is marinated and then grilled till it is about done. When you order the dish, they throw the half to three quarters done chicken in a pan with other ingredients of the pre made tomato based sauce (fresh tomato sauce reduced) and green chilies with cream (equivalent of half and half). I have seen different preparations using different agents to thicken the sauce - cream, flour etc. In my experience, cream works best. Butter is now used sparingly in a dish that still bears the name. Delicious when eaten hot and fresh with tandoori roti or naan.

I had to take a few guests from India out to dinner last weekend. Got sick of cooking at home. Ended up going to Mavalli Palace. Had been there a long time ago. It had been uninspiring (except the few works of art on the walls). We had Mavalli masala dosa (basically a Mysore masala dosa), rasa vada, onion and chilli uttapam, idli, rava dosa, mango ice cream and two of their thalis. I tasted everything but the thalis (Brahmin guests from India do not share). All except idlis were very good if not exceptional. Their chaat was not very good (my wife will order chaat even if it is a south Indian rest). Any comments vis a vis - Pongal vs. Mavalli ? vivin

I have been to the Nougatine room twice for lunch and the main dining room once for dinner. Lunch was very good. Dinner was only so so. Since both are served by the same kitchen, I am not sure that the food is that much different. That is just my take on it. Overall, it is enjoyable as long as the dollars expended are reasonable. If the bill has to be over 200 per person, there are other places in the city where I would rather spend the money then Jean Georges.

It was a while ago and the duck was the worst part of the meal for me, making it especially hazy in my mind. There were sliced pieces of duck with honey on them that were rubbery and tasteless. The only good part was a leg that looked like it had been cooked to a char on the outside. It was sweet and spicy at the same time. In a very oriental way. Good but not very good or outstanding. sorry, that is about all that I recall.

Cabrales, thanx for the report. My main dish was Duck Apicius as well and it fell short of expectatations. The room is beautiful (although not quite awe inspiring as Le Grand Vefour) and the service attentive if slightly stand offish. On the other hand, one of my co workers had a splendid meal there two weeks ago. vivin.

I am going to try Dakshin, then. Can't hurt. Thanx for the suggestion. Anil, not a bad idea. If I can get some direction, a wkend trip to London is not out of the question in search for culinary pleasures. One of my co workers just returned from a wkend trip to Paris. Opera, museums, a dinner at Lucas Carton. All good. Makes me want to go again. vivin.

Where would I go, IF I wanted to have a meal that was essentially a tasting menu of dishes made up from different parts of the subcontinent? And I do not mean make up a tasting from a regular North Indian menu and throw in Idlis as an amuse. The only thing that comes to mind is Suvir's place :-). Any other ideas?

Cabrales, Thanx for the nice report. I think we are in agreement, more or less, with our assessment of most everything sans food. Our one experience might be unusual due to the very very fresh and extremely good quality black truffles that were used in the menu that we had. It is a definite go back to despite the price (where as Guy Savoy was not). Need to go to ADNY soon... vivin.

We sometimes use watered down oily version of fresh made mint/cilantro chutney as dressing on mixed greens. Gives it the slight spice that you are looking for. Also, use more mint than cilantro as it goes well with grilled meats (lamb especially). Vivin.

I am kicking myself for not checking the group over the wkend. Indian Ocean is very good music and should be excellent live. Vivin.

Liza, Nice report. I have had couple of similar experiences. I did not get the foie on the cod (lucky you). However, my main dish was rare seared duck twice (once with foie gras, once without). So there is precedence for this sort of thing. If you do not mind me asking, how much was the omakase that you guys did. Glad you had a good meal - happy b'day.