Indian Cuisine, Quiet and Delicious

Posted by: Michael Orey on December 05

There are three things I want from a restaurant for a business lunch:

1. Good food (Otherwise what’s the point of meeting over a meal?)
2. Efficient service (How many times have you practically killed the afternoon trying to get the check?)
3. Quiet — a dining room in which you can actually hear what others at your talbe say (Hmm, did he say CBS or CDS?)

You can get all of this at Tamarind, an Indian restaurant on East 22nd Street in Manhattan’s Flatiron neighborhood. I’ve had both dinner and lunch at Tamarind, and the food is exceptional. Many of the dishes and ingredients will seem familiar to those who frequent more ordinary Indian places that abound in New York and elsewhere – and I often find those places perfectly satisfying. But everything at Tamarind seems to have been taken up several levels; there’s a distinctness and clarity to the flavors, and a far-ranging menu that can take diners far beyond the typical. Sure you can order saag paneer if you want. But how ’bout nargisi kifta: lotus root dumplings with homemade cheese, in a saffron-onion sauce? Avtar Walia, Tamarind’s perpetually dapper owner, told me that his offerings are “authentic Indian food,” though that clearly refers to the flavorings and preparation more than it does some of the things that land in his pots. How else to explain the (delicious) lobster masala, venison or quail? Walia says his kitchen also experiments to come up with its own creations. One example: a dish of cauliflower, lightly crisp on the outside in a tangy sort of sweet and sour sauce. “I sell it by the ton,” he told me, and I can see why.

Tamarind’s contemporarily decorated space features a muted beige/white palate. And, at least at lunch, the noise level is subdued, as well. Before the recent financial crisis, Walia says, it used to be a bit more bustling, particularly because bankers from nearby Credit Suisse used to fill up tables. They appear less frequently now. (Prices are not cheap, especially for those used to Indian food being a low-budget option, but there is a $24 prix fixe option at lunch.) Even if it is crowded, the dining room has a half dozen banquettes that offer an semi-private place for those who may want to plot the next big deal — or bailout. If those discussions stray into whether or not to have dessert, I would suggest yes. Try the kulfi, a pistachio and cardamom flavored ice milk or the mango cheese cake. Heck, if the market’s up for the day, order both.