[Pigging by Wilfrid: November 16, 2007]
The Devi guys have finally trod the path to independence.
I first ate the food of writer/conceptualist Suvir Saran and tandoori-master Hemant Mathur at Amma in midtown. The original Devi was part of the less upmarket Baluchi chain, but Suvir and Hemant this year became co-owners.
Let's get one question out of the way. I met Suvir Saran online years ago, and in person on a few occasions. The Devi guys are hosts of legendary generosity, but on this occasion the Pink Pig deliberately flew in under the radar, was not recognized, and went un-comped. So this is the dinner a stranger gets - and very good it is.
In fact, although Tamarind has its devotees, I am satisfied that this is comfortably the best Indian restaurant in Manhattan, and I'm skeptical that outer boros outposts of authenticity could consistently out-perform it.
The jewel in Devi's crown, if I may, has always been the tasting menu, a multi-choice tasting, no less, in which vegetarians as well as flesh-chewers can easily find their way through five courses. Re-visiting after Suvir and Hemant recently seized supreme power, this was the only way to go: it's $65 (wine pairings available) and it's discounted 20% until Thanksgiving.
And along with old favorites - the tomatoey Manchurian cauliflower, which I like but have eaten often enough - there are some new, spicy charmers.
I am sure a neuro-scientist could tell you how reliable our trigeminal nerve memory is, but - not to bore you - I had the impression that the spice-heat level of the dishes has been wound up a notch or two (and I wasn't the only one). This dense chopped eggplant appetizer was a scorcher when I tasted it.
The bright redManchurian cauliflower shows up not only in its own right, but also as garnish to a single scallop.
Barely cooked, and served on a sort of red pepper coulis, the scallop's smooth sweetness is also accented by a zesty orange marmalade.
The halibut is hardly served by this off-center shot, and it didn't look as green on the night. It's flavored with Mumbai "bottle masala", a mix of multiple spices, and soothed with coconut rice and the house slaw.
Slaw, potato salad, fried chicken - one can only wonder how much time Suvir has spent eating soul-food and barbecue recently. The main menu changes seem to admit an American eclecticism to the cuisine, while Devi nevertheless remains - unlike Tabla, for example - an unmistakeably Indian restaurant. Here's Colonel Saran's finger-lickin' bird:
Pick up and eat chicken (on the bone), buttermilk-brined and slightly heavily breaded. There goes that slaw again, and one of the evening's nicest surprises, a sort of smashed red potato salad, enlivened with mustard oil. I felt the chicken could use some fine-tuning, a crisper coat, but the dish was a welcome innovation.
What is less welcome, and could use some thought, is the tendency of ingredients, especially vegetable preparations, to make repeated encores throughout the tasting menu. A wary diner could steer clear of two many repetitions - but if you get the chicken and the ribs, for example, you are going to eat the same potato salad twice. Here it is:
I think you wouldn't guess from the menu that the braised short ribs, served on a satiny tamarind sauce, are - like the chicken - breaded. The potato salad lurks in the rear. Another unusual and imaginative dish, although again the contrast of meat and coating would be better served if the crumbs were crisper.
An offering of bread, piping hot and delicious. Parmesan and onion kulcha, a yoghurty dipping sauce spiked with crisp fried okra.
I started eating Indian food regularly around the age of eight or nine. I don't know how well known it is that, from the 1970's on, Indian restaurants (usually, in fact, Bangladeshi) were the most popular sit-down dining option for the great British public. Accordingly, even small towns had one or two or three, and the standard is generally very high - much higher than Indian restaurants in New York.
Manhattan's older high-end Indians - Dawat, Diwan, et al - glide along year after year with the same unexciting and sometimes expensive menus. The 6th Street restaurant row is a kind of Indian little Italy (Angon and Brick Lane, at their best, honorable exceptions). Murray Hill has some Southern Indian options and dirt cheap steam-tables for students. Other than Tamarind, and perhaps Yuva, Devi carries the banner. Best in class, and suddenly more interesting.
Sweets are not the highlight, for me, although the so-called "bread pudding" was creamily pleasant.
Saffron and cardamom-flavored, almonds chopped over the top. We worried a piece of fig cake was considered too - that's a goat cheese ice cream.
No doubting Devi's popularity, and on the night of my recent visit, the crowd - especially later in the evening - was predominantly young and Indian. Indeed, the second dinner sitting was so over-subscribed, it was hard to find the door through the waiting masses. Happy Diwali to Suvir and Hemant - and they're serving a special Diwali menu too. All things Suvir right here, and this article can be discussed at MouthfulsFood.
