We're
all creatures of habit. Try as I might to keep the ordering continuum
wide open for tasty new experiences, there are a few black holes that
I'll always succumb to: At Tabla Bread Bar, it's the Pulled Lamb and Mustard-Mash Naanini.
I'm a big fan of the Bread Bar; this place ain't cheap, but if you're a boozehound that hates crowds, loves food, and has never understood why it's so hard to get Indian food and a good cocktail together, it's an FN godsend.
Please DO get yourself a cocktail. Or three or four, as budget and responsibilities allow. It doesn't matter which one, they're all incredibly well-balanced, and they all pair with the food like a charm.
Which brings us to the naanini; tender lamb and spiced, smooth potatoes on a pressed piping-fresh naan platform (and raita for dippin'), there's little more than a gal on an incidental drinking binge could ask for. Gnaw, sip, hum to yourself: NAaaaaaaanknEEEEkneeee...
Besides being delicious, this is one of those foods that magically expands in your stomach--someone who was famished could probably polish this off, but little else. Which'd be a shame, since there are lots of other things worth trying!
I split a naanini with The Man on a lovely spring day on their sunlit foyer, along with another great find, Kichidi with Tuscan kale, roasted cauliflower, peanuts and yogurt curry:
To oversimplify, Kichidi is the Indian answer to rice-and-beans, and Tabla BB's version was a pleasant surprise in meat-free eating. Every bite had the crunch of roasted peanuts, slight sweetness from softened cauliflower florets, bitterness from the fine tangle of kale, the fragrant simplicity of rice and lentils married to all by tangy yogurt.
The Naanini ($24) is available on the Bread Bar's lunch and dinner menus, but the Kichidi ($23) is a dinner-only proposition.
For those who find themselves near Madison Square around lunchtime, great news! Tabla's elegant main dining room AND the downstairs Bread Bar are offering truly temping 3-course lunch specials:
Crispy Artichoke “Bhel Puri” Green mango, peanuts, tamarind & mint chutneys
or
Goan Crab Cake Papadum, avocado salad & tamarind chutney
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Steamed North Atlantic Sea Bream Snow peas, spring onions & dry ginger broth
or
Pan Roasted Spiced Hanger Steak Braised baby romaine, warm fingerling salad & horseradish raita
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Coconut Pain Perdu Coconut crème bruleé, mango chutney, yuzu sorbet
or
Dark Chocolate Ganache Peanut streusel, dulce de leche ice cream, Thai chili gelée
Spring 3-Course Menu ($24.00)
South Indian Mushroom Soup Wild mushrooms & tamarind
or
Organic Field Greens Crisped rice, lime chutney- sherry dressing
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Rawa Crisped North Atlantic Skate Roasted trumpet royale mushrooms, wild spinach & coconut jus
or
Braised & Pulled Hudson Valley Duck Leg Strozzapretti pasta & local ramps
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Vanilla Bean Kulfi House made root beer soda, crispy wonton
or
Rhubarb Napoleon Rhubarb compote, sangria sorbet, rhubarb basil “salad”
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Tabla, and Tabla Bread Bar
11 Madison Ave.
@ 25th St
Madison Square/Flatiron
NYC, NY 10010
PH: (212) 889-0667
Reserve a table through OpenTable!
Lunch:
Monday - Friday: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Dinner:
Monday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Friday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 11:00pm
Sunday: 5:00pm - 9:00pm
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