#TerrificTakeout #PeachysPicks #PeachyDeegan #Tamarind Since 2001 #WhomYouKnow #Manhattan @ManhattanPeachy A Peachy's Pick Since 2012, Tamarind by Avtar Walia Spring 2024 #Best #Indian #Restaurant in #Manhattan Right Now Says Whom You Know! A Peachy's Pick for a DOZEN Years!
Lobster Masala should be on your culinary bucket list!!!!
It's never been who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Avtar Walia, the newest feature in Laudable Looks because his aesthetic precedence goes beyond the decor at 99 Hudson Street, founder and owner of Tamarind, the best Indian place in Manhattan (and everything our friend Ashok does in Washington is the best there-stay tuned, a place we have written about before is going to have Washington news soon). Avtar is from Bihar, Punjab, India: an agricultural state where there are lots of farms. Tamarind is in its 23rd year as it started in 2001.
If you know Peachy, you know she has ten million questions about everything all the time.
We knew that Tamarind was a spice.
We did not know that the spice was the result of a dried fruit and above there you have it, the tropical fruit Tamarind from Asia. It's a sweet and sour fruit, and when it dries it becomes a spice. To us it tasted a little bit like an apricot and it is always exciting to learn about origins like this.
Tamarind the restaurant has been a Peachy's Pick since 2012 and it last made a tantalizing appearance in Peachy's Picks at the end of 2022. You cannot find better Indian food anywhere! Well in America anyway-we have never been to India. (Mike Tyson thinks so too-check him out on their website, and we are glad to report we see Avtar with both ears still!)
We began with an onion fritter to ignite our appetite-an amuse bouche!
Everything at Tamarind is gorgeous.
Everything at Tamarind is gracious.
It goes without saying that the cleanliness level is spotless as is the service-listen to what Avtar tells you in the above video about the daily 45-minute meetings. This is rare.
Avtar is a tee-totaler and we gladly joined in; have you seen the fabulous new Degrenne that we told you about yesterday? Of course they are drinking Masala tea from India that Avtar picked out.
The appetizers boast tremendous depth and there are nearly twenty choices. Above, please meet Hara Bhara Kebab. If a chocolate Hostess cupcake filled with cream turned Indian savory vegetarian, it would look something like this (Peachy LOVES those cupcakes and most chocolate.) Obviously, the Tamarind version above is far more healthful and is made of grilled spinach patties stuffed with paneer, garam masala and red chili. They are so much fun to discover inside and delicious! Everyone knows how tall Peachy is, and in that line of thought she adores her fellow shrimps, especially when they are cooked on a plate in front of her to the taste levels of Tamarind. Baghare Jhinga are jumbo pan-seared shrimp with curry leaves and mustard seeds finished in a wonderful creamy tomato sauce. Both of these are bestsellers and are medium spicy to us-we'd be surprised if they set you aflame but you should know that every experience we have ever had at Tamarind in a dozen years has been positive and if Peachy's delicate easily-inflamed Irish tastebuds have been happy, yours will be too, readers! Note there is milk if you want it to quench any fire.
We three million percent agree with Avtar that fusion is a confusion and you can be rest assured that the dishes at Tamarind are purely Indian and authentic just like Avtar himself.
No one is confused here.
A new dish as of April 2024 - drumroll please - is Mutton Champaran, above.
The baby goat is tender in flavor and is marinated in whole garlic and ginger and then slow-cooked. It's sure to appeal to all those with exotic tastebuds and note we NEVER edit pictures. It looks this stunning in real life. You excel like Avtar, or we do not publish!
Roti is Breads and there are a dozen choices.
Peachy has a proud long love affair with carbs and she narrowed it down to two.
Above, meet Garlic Naan, the usual suspect for Peachy ordering Indian and just terrific at Tamarind!
Below, meet Wild Mushroom and Truffle Oil Naan! Not everywhere has this, which is reason alone to order it. It is pinky-out sensational flavor. Mike Tyson we hope you are reading!
Mirror mirror on the wall, what dish is the hottest one of them all?
To us this visit, this is taking a walk on the wild side: Tamarind Chili Murgh!
Tender boneless pieces of chicken party with jalapeno, cumin, curry leaf and tamarind for a totally tantalizing experience. We did love it but we did not eat it all at once.
Next, below is another brand-spanking-new April 2024 dish: Aloo Wadiyan, a Punjabi delight.
This is most representative of Punjab, of course where Avtar himself is from. Watch that video!
Potatoes, sun dried lentil dumplings are cooked with onion, tomato, mace and kasuri methi to form a dish that is like taking a vacation to India on a plate! It is not too spicy and just right for excitement.
Don't hate this one because it's beautiful.
Eat it!
Next on the tablecloth runway, Achari Khumb struck a pose.
Vegetables will make you feel fantastic and better yet are simply superb: button mushrooms are sauteed with onion, tomato, achari masala and fresh cilantro culminating in a sensational symphony of flavor.
An aspect that stands out at Tamarind is how they absolutely excel in seafood like no one else. Above, befriend the majestic Zameen Doz, delivered every day from England. That's Dover Sole, readers! It is brand new as of April 2024 and you absolutely positively must have it! Filets of Dover Sole are expertly layered with spices baked in a clay pot with pasanda (creamy onion, saffron, cashew, onion, coconut milk and tomato) sauce and all the spices that ravish it.
However, to Peachy, the cream of the crop, A number 1, is the LOBSTER MASALA.
No one else does it and if they tried they probably would have a hard time doing it as well as Tamarind. Lobster is cooked with onion, ginger, garlic, shiitake mushrooms and white wine sing a song of perfection on your palate.
A dish that is quiet luxury is the Chicken Shahi Korma. It's quite mild if you are spice-averse, readers.
Creamy decadence awaits you with the beautifully roasted chicken dancing in a lovely smooth saffron cashew sauce. Anyone can do blah blah blah ordinary masala but ONLY Tamarind can do Peachy's most favorite vegetable-haricot verts-in this way. Another drumroll please: brand new as of April 2024 is the Green Beans Masala. Beans cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and indian spices really are quite healthy we surmise as well as gorgeously colorful and nutritious!!! Another total must.
Dal Makhni, Black Lentils, are a wonderful digestive in our humble opinion and a delicious part of a balanced diet. Carefully cooked over a slow flame with pungent tomato puree and butter, this develops into a prevalent, striking flavor concentration that is wondrous on your palate: the black lentils are simmered overnight and finished with ginger, garlic, tomato and butter. The cappuccino seals the deal.
Tamarind continues to be Highly Recommended.
