#TerrificTakeout #PeachysPicks #PeachyDeegan #Tamarind #WhomYouKnow #Manhattan @ManhattanPeachy A Peachy's Pick Since 2012, Tamarind by Avtar Walia Summer 2018 #Best #Indian #Restaurant in #Manhattan Right Now Says Whom You Know! #LobsterMasala We Love You!
Founder and Owner of Tamarind, Avtar Walia with Awahdi Murgh
Lobster Masala, Peachy's favorite!
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Avtar Walia, fantastic creator of Tamarind, which started as a restaurant January 31, 2001 (great things start in January!) in the Flatiron District, and in Tribeca, the one and only location now, open since 2010.
His first Manhattan restaurant opened in 1986, and we find Tamarind to be the best and most competitive Indian restaurant in Manhattan right now. We were incredibly impressed with their performance this summer.
The minute Peachy walked in the door, she was warmly greeted by Avtar and of course the super festive elephants. We love elephants!
Tamarind was most recently visited last winter:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2018/04/a-peachys-pick-since-2012-tamarind.html#.W3HmLuhKg2w
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2018/04/a-peachys-pick-since-2012-tamarind.html#.W3HmLuhKg2w
Tamarind has been a Peachy's Pick Since 2012:
Note if a review is published and we do not indicate the restaurant is a Peachy's Pick, it is because we have not worked with them long enough to be convinced of their level of excellence.
The minute we were seated, we were brought water and lemon vertically sliced, even more essential on a hot summer day when we are more thirsty than usual. Attention to detail is mastered at Tamarind and everyone here cares about everything and we have noticed. They are truly committed to quality at every turn.
If you have been reading, you know that Peachy is interested in eating salads, salads and more salads right now. Especially on sweltering days, salads can be the absolute highlight of a meal when everything else can be too hot to enjoy.
We began with Tamarind's Jalpari. Note the commitment to aesthetics at Tamarind in dish presentation with this in particular and throughout the entire review. Tamarind has class and style. Peachy is pretty shrimpy in terms of height and her tastes also adore the shrimp noun (as well as the former adjective.) Superlatively seared basil shrimp highlight the Jalpari along with bean and radish sprouts, pea shoots and microgreens. Honey and ginger dressing is on the side for Ms. Super Picky; let's be honest. Peachy is more than pretty picky.
Another smashing salad we enjoyed is the Koshimbir. This successfully combines beans, baby corn, lettuce, scallions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, mustard seeds, curry leaves and lentil fritter. It is a beacon of nutrition and refreshment! There is a third salad available but it has goat cheese and Peachy is not a goat cheese enthusiast. If you are, you are sure to love it.
Often Peachy orders things that are green because she likes to eat her favorite color and because most of the time green means healthy as well. You will also love the Hara Bhara Kabab! Everything is translated on the menu, believe us. Peachy does not speak Indian either however the food nouns are making an impression on her edible vocabulary. Spinach patties, paneer (this is cheese), garam masala (spice) and red chili are medium spicy and just delicious. Tamarind knows how to combine properly and they are happy to tune the spiciness to your personal taste-ask when you order of course.
Three of the most perfect scallops we have eaten this summer have been at Tamarind (otherwise they were at Jubilee!) as an appetizer. They are incredible: pan-seared with tumeric, garam masala, poppy seeds and lemon juice. The Bay Scallops are exceptionally fresh and sourced from California. Not overdone and not underdone, these scallops are perfect.
We have had the She Crab Soup before, and we wanted to check for consistency. This originally was created by Raji Jallepalli, and if you are thinking a she crab is how Peachy's behavior is during a bad dinner review by not Tamarind, you are wrong.
She Crab is a species of crab from the East Coast of the USA: Maine and Massachusetts.
Watch the soup being poured in in action on the lemon, right in front of you.
We love this presentation!
The she crab meat is beautiful and a most summery flavor you can savor. Curry leaves and root vegetables round it out and some coconut rum accentuates the liquid party! You must try it and say a little prayer for Raji while you eat it. We did not know her but clearly from this taste, she was a smart cookie.
An amuse bouche was the onion fritter with raspberry chili sauce and cashew nuts, hitting on some of our most favorite flavors. The amuse bouche changes daily at Tamarind.
Resting upon a fine banana leaf, Lasuni Gobi, a special the day we visited (Lucky Peachy!) is sure to impress immensely. This battered cauliflower is a staple of many Indian menus, but few do it as well as Tamarind, who craft it with corn flour and white flour and deep fry it to perfection. Peachy does not eat many fried foods, but she eats this fried food.
It is magically spicy and boasts a sublime kick.
DRUMROLL PLEASE.
LOBSTER MASALA!
TA DAAAAAAAAAA!
It is just as gorgeous as it is delicious. Everyone has had Chicken Tikka Masala and that is Peachy's go-to-standard of Indian food, however, that was until she knew of such a thing as Lobster Masala, which is infinitely better, at Tamarind.
Lobster Masala is the Chanel little black dress of this menu, and we think Bronwyn will know what we mean. It waltzes in creamy tomato sauce, cashew nuts (our favorite), onions, garlic and shiitake mushrooms and is is our FAVORITE. It goes without saying that bien sur the lobster is fresh.
There is chicken at Indian restaurants, and then there is Awahdi Murgh at Tamarind.
Avtar suggested this:
Baked chicken breast is lightly rubbed with nutmeg and garam masala and teams up with a minced chicken yogurt sauce with mushrooms, spinach, and cheese to result in an immensely enjoyable top-notch chicken dish. We liked it but we liked the seafood more this visit.
Avtar pointed out that if we love that lobster, we should try the Malai Halibut and he was right! Here's another total winner. In case you are into awards, you should know this was the Grand Prize Winner of the 2004 USA Fish Dish Awards.
Halibut is extraordinarily seasoned with mace, cardamom, coconut and ginger sauce that amalgamates to the ultimately compelling fish dish that will brighten up your summer with flair! Also, you should know that of all of the Indian restaurants in New York, Tamarind has the best wine list by a marathon, not a mile.
Next, Peachy had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb and its creamy onion sauce was white as snow! But seriously, the Masala Gosht will convince you you do in fact like lamb when you are eating it at Tamarind. California lamb is perfectly tender and flavorful with whole crushed spices, red wine and shiitake mushrooms and is a compelling entree any season.
Up until this point, though Peachy was heavily seasoned with all of the spicy foods, she was not on fire. Believe it or not, what did put her on fire was the brussel sprouts! Beware if you also have wimpy Irish taste buds, these are super powerful.
But, once she was on fire, Peachy quite enjoyed it. Kalaikkose Pirattal is its proper name, and brussel sprouts are joined by curry leaves in full force, dessicated coconut and tamilian spices. We do not remember seeing any other Indian restaurant do brussel sprouts and we applaud this rendition! We were starting to get bored of the typical sauteed in bacon and garlic. You can not be bored with anything on the Tamarind menu as it is highly unique and excellent.
Meet Murgh Malai Kebab! It's an appetizer. Chicken is marinated for 24 hours in hung yogurt (meaning water strained, concentrated), coriander, cream cheese and carrom seeds resulting in a landmark performance by a medium as ordinary as chicken.
And, they even do an amazing cappuccino!
Peachy cannot pretend to be this happy. She is a terrible actress and people should know how they are doing from her level of enthusiasm on the review as she does not fake it.
She is as happy as she is here at Tamarind, or she is not. Maybe Avtar has a new Facebook picture now! His current one is also terrific.
Tamarind continues to be Highly Recommended.
Go visit the highly coveted Lobster Masala!
