Forget Japanese omakase, haute Korean set menus and trendy steakhouses. <\/p>\n
The city\u2019s hardest-to-get restaurant reservations all have one thing in common \u2014 they\u2019re Indian. And they\u2019re all terrific.<\/p>\n
The Subcontinent\u2019s kaleidoscopic, spice-drenched flavors are here at higher quality and in greater variety \u2014 from the rich curries of the north to the delicate dosas of the south \u2014 than ever before. They\u2019re in\u00a0greater demand, too: Reservations at some new places are as hard to come by as those at the Eighty Six and the Polo Bar.<\/p>\n
The opulent Ambassadors Clubhouse is one of the toughest reservations in the city. Courtesy of Ambassadors Clubhouse<\/p>\n
Ambassadors Clubhouse, an opulent, 140-seat London import that debuted its Punjabi fare in NYC earlier this year, limits guests \u201cto one reservation per month to ensure we can accommodate as many guests as possible,\u201d according to its website. Musaafer won\u2019t let you book earlier than two weeks ahead for dinner starting at 5 p.m., although you\u2019ll have better luck for lunch.<\/p>\n
The acclaimed, Michelin-starred Semma won\u2019t let you book less than 15 days ahead \u2014 and then, only if you\u2019re lucky. Its reservation site goes live 15 days in advance of any given date at 9 a.m, and you have to be quick with your keyboard clicks. Its sister restaurant, Adda, requires equally fast fingers to book. <\/p>\n
Bungalow opened two years ago in the East Vilage, but it\u2019s still nearly impossible to grab a table, so much so that I gave up waiting for availability starting \u201cexactly at 11 a.m., 20 days in advance except Tuesdays,\u201d according to its friendly site.<\/p>\n
But, if you can nab a reservation at these spicy spots, the rewards are numerous \u2014 and delicious. <\/p>\n
My favorite single new dish is the malvani macchi \u2014 black bass simmered in a multi-layered, cream curry \u2014\u00a0from Unapologetic Foods\u2019 Adda. Chef Chintan Pandya calls it \u201ca taste of my childhood Sundays.\u201d As in the best Indian cookery, the essences reveal themselves not in a cluster bomb but sequentially \u2014 coconut first, then tangy kokum, followed by a blast of Szechuan pepper-like triphal spice.<\/p>\n
Roni Mazumdar (right) and Chintan Pandya are the duo behind Unapologetic Foods and some of the city\u2019s buzziest Indian restaurants. Alex Lau<\/p>\n
At Semma, another Unapologetic place, the triangular\u00a0gunpowder dosa blew me away.\u00a0 A blend of ground chile spices lights the fuse in a ginger-and mustard-imbued potato masala inside the\u00a0thin, ghee-griddled envelope \u2014 a fluffy-and-crisp \u00a0tactile pleasure.<\/p>\n
The skyrocketing growth\u00a0of Indian fare in NYC \u2014 a cuisine previously defined by tomato-bathed chicken tikka masala and under-spiced lamb saag gosht\u00a0\u2014 came after the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Big Apple restaurant-lovers were ready for something new and challenging after the pandemic year of bland takeout and dishes dumbed down\u00a0for outdoor service.<\/p>\n
Semma is famed for its Gunpowder Dosa. Paul McDonough<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t really travel during the pandemic,\u201d said Ellen Hunter, who runs the popular food-focused Instagram account @TheStarCrawl. \u201cThere\u2019s something about Indian food that gives you a sense of exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pandya and the Unapologetic Foods CEO Roni Mazumdara\u00a0launched the game-changing Dhamaka on Delancey Street in February 2021, just days after the lockdown\u00a0ended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant swiftly became one of Manhattan\u2019s hardest-to-book places, thanks to what I\u00a0called \u201ccauldrons of palate-tingling surprises\u201d like chicken pulao fired by garam masala made from ground mace, cinnamon, dried chili and cardamom.<\/p>\n
Later that year, the duo opened Semma, focusing on rural southern Indian cuisine from Vijay\u2019s hometown of\u00a0Tamil Nadu, and the equally creative Adda. <\/p>\n
The malvani macchi \u2014 black bass simmered in a multi-layered, cream curry \u2014 at Adda is one of the best Indian dishes in the city right now. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
The Indian hot spots offer both unique regional dishes and adaptations of familiar favorites that are far better than the takeout standards.<\/p>\n
Several places serve elevated takes on butter chicken. At Adda, the \u201cbutter chicken experience\u201d costs $50 per person and must be booked in advance due to limited availability. Those who snag a slot enjoy special Heritage Green Circle Chicken, house-churned butter and tomatoes that are smoked daily.<\/p>\n
At the theatrical, marble-walled Musaafer, the butter chicken experience costs $42 and is served in a three-tier vessel, each layer offering a distinct take on the dish. <\/p>\n
Musaafer\u2019s black cod is theatrically plated, mirroring the restaurant\u2019s opulent decor. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
The butter chicken experience at Musaafer includes three different takes on the beloved dish. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
At Ambassadors Clubhouse, Matka Beliram lamb from Mosner Family Farms is grilled osso bucco style over hot coals to a smoky, juicy turn and served with young garlic and toasted coriander seeds.<\/p>\n
Of course, the city had great Indian restaurants long before Covid and the new crop of trendy spots. Avtar Walia\u2019s elegant Tamarind Tribeca is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, while Indian Accent and Junoon have also long offered upscale takes on the complex cuisine of the country, which is home to 1.74 billion people.<\/p>\n
Walia recalled opening the original Tamarind on East 22nd Street decades ago, with the help of the celebrated, Hyderabad-born chef\u00a0Raji\u00a0Jallepalli. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal was to bring Indian cuisine to a different level,\u201d Walia told me. <\/p>\n
Tamarind has been serving some of the best Indian fare in the city for decades. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
The hasiru samudra is particularly memorable. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u00a0Although Jallabadali died in 2002, her\u00a0Chilean sea bass, or hasiru samudra, is still on the menu. It\u2019s marinated in sour cream, coriander and lemongrass before it goes into the tandoori oven and emerges almost impossibly sweet and moist.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still my \u00a0favorite after all the years, but I\u2019m glad it\u2019s no longer the only fish in the Indian sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forget Japanese omakase, haute Korean set menus and trendy steakhouses. The city\u2019s hardest-to-get restaurant reservations all have one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304197,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[289,232,75,9,56,63,65,64,4403,821],"class_list":["post-304196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-food-drink","tag-lifestyle","tag-manhattan","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-restaurant-review","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}