THE BEST: Indian

[Daniel]

I have been as recently as last summer, and you could arguably say that the canteen or the Hudd make a better paper dosai or sambar or chutney, but for a mysore or pondicherry or other escalations of spice, they are very very good. Their masala potato is also awfully tasty without breaking the ghee barrier. I take them to go eat @ Shea, lucky I have a front row and aisle in front of me otherwise it could be unwieldy

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Have you been to Minar before? I have had there dosa a few times and really enjoyed them.. Tiffan Walla on the other hand left a lot to be desired.

[raji]

No but I'll certainly give it a try! I didn't know there was ANY good Indian in my neighborhood. I'm making masal dosais tonight for dinner...

[Eatmywords]

My girl wants hi end Indian for her bday. Something with a bit of ambience but more focus on the food. Are Devi (for the food) and Tabla (food and ambience) still the way to go? Thanks guys!

[raji]

Yuva, Chola, and definitely Tamarind, and not just cuz the executive chef shares my name

[Eatmywords]

We had an excellent meal at Yuva a couple years ago. Loved the comp 9 dip starter and the Yuva combo with the lamb, jumbo shrimp, chicken and other stuff. Really nice dish. That’s a good rec if we hadn't been there already. Definitely will consider Chola and Tamarind. Both of their menus have some interesting items. I'm guessing from your enthusiasm towards Tamarind it edges out over Chola? Thanks.

[Eatmywords]

Hits and misses at Devi last Saturday night.

Pretty room. Soft lighting, Indian lanterns/decor. Nice for a romantic bday, spl occasion, etc. Service was fine. Staff was warm, waiter well versed, not intrusive, always close by. We liked the flexibility in the prix fix options. Choose from 2, 3, and 4 course meals w/dessert. Can translate into a super deal while sampling a good portion of the menu. We went with the two ($35) and three course ($45), which totaled 2 apps, 3 entrees and two desserts (w/a comp bday dessert and 2 amuse veg dumplings which were forgettable). It was an incredible amount of food for the price point.

We started with an infused prosecco (not much more than bellini) and a flavored margarita with a dash of cayenne which was excellent (It had a few components, I forget). For apps, shrimp and calamari masala frito misto and grilled scallops w/rstd pepper chutney and marmalade. Shrimp and calamari were lightly battered, fried correctly, and dusted with cumin . Very good but didn’t care for tartar like sc they were sitting on. Same for the scallops. Perfectly spiced, marinated and seared. The bitter, fried orange rinds complimented well but again the sauce, a roasted pepper mayo, did not belong. Also, the ice-like glass plates they came on had cracks (both of them) in the edges. A couple sharp enough to cut a finger.

For entrees we shared the fish special, grouper in lemon rasam (broth) w/butternut squash, chicken curry w/fattoush salad, tandoor lamb chops w/pear chutney and southern potatos, saag paneer and a side of basmati rice. The grouper cooked well, very moist however underseasoned as well the rasam broth was thin and bland, begging for acidity. Also the squash was not served well plated under the fish in the broth, losing its texture as it dissolved into the dish. The chicken curry was classic with deep flavors and a thick consistency but unfortunately over-salted as was the saag paneer. The fattoush salad was a simple mixed salad lacking in vinaigrette. The savior and star of the meal were the lamb chops. (Their signature dish I believe). Very tender, perfectly grilled to med rare/rare with a slightly creamy texture. My guess, they’re marinated in a yogurt base for several hours or overnight. And the bit of heat in the pear chutney complimented nicely as well the southern potatoes which had a poppy vinegar burst (in a really good German potato salad kind of way). I’d go back just for the lamb.

Dessert; black forest cake, bread pudding and mango cheesecake. All had several components, flavors and were visually appealing. I liked the bread pudding best but they were all pretty good.

I really liked Devi but, and although our first time, I felt like it was riding a bit on it’s very positive reviews and reputation. If they only paid a bit more attn to small details in the kitchen our experience would have been very different.

I would go back for sure, especially for the prix fix, but not anytime soon. I want to try Tamarind, Chola and even Amma first.

[raji]

Walking down Curry Hill today I saw the Bollywood-themed place next to Madras Mahal has remodeled and re-opened as Dhaba. It's very promising, first and foremost because it is run by Shiva Natarajan who runs one of my favorite Indian restaurants, Chola, as well as others I am quite fond of in the tri-state area.

You can see the menu here:

http://www.highwaydhaba.com/menu.htm

While the more familiar dishes are of course there, there is a much wider range of Northern dishes and spicing strategies available than you might find elsewhere, I'm excited to try out a lot of the dishes. It also seems like a place I can safely take my British friends, who moan about not being able to find "good indian food in ny" because they can't find their British "curries".

What I always like about this group of restaurants is they don't go the butter, ghee and food coloring route that a lot of non-vegetarian places and aren't afraid to use authentic spices - preparation is always very good for the price.

I did the buffet today, and for $10, while it was the usual suspects, Chicken Tikka Masala, Goat Curry, Chana, saag, biryani, basmati rice, they were all awfully good, gulub jaman were available for a dessert, and they also brought a chaat plate out with a great Bhel Puri and potato samosas, as well as breads, and someone from the kitchen also brought out some great tandoori chicken - for breads alone you usually have to pay, but all that was inclusive of the buffet. Their chicken I loved because they didn't have to do the in-human red-coloring thing, they did a much more home-cooked version of it which was very good.

They're also doing a late-night thang with kingfisher on tap, so that might have to be a latenight spot for me...

Edited May 24, 2009 by raji (log)