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    Home » Destination » Tamarind | New York City

    Posted on: Jun 18, 2012 · Modified: Nov 6, 2022 by honeywhatscooking · 22 Comments

    Tamarind | New York City

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    On my birthday, last Thursday, my husband surprised me with dinner at Tamarind, an Indian restaurant, located in Manhattan’s Flatiron district.
    Tamarind's been on my “places to try” list for quite some time now, and each time we made reservations, for some reason or another, we had to cancel every single time.

    On my birthday, I finally got to try Tamarind. 

    Thanks VS for a lovely dinner!




    LOCATION:
    41-43 East 22nd Street
    New York, NY 10010
    (Flatiron)
    Other Location: Tamarind

    MENU: Tamarind Menu
    COST: $$$
    CUISINE: Indian
    RECOMMENDED TO: Bar Scene, Casual Dining, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining.
    AMBIENCE: Classy/Elegant

    MY REVIEW
    Monsoon… dark rum, pineapple and pomegranete juices with a dash of orange juice and coconut cream.  My birthday drink which was slightly sweet just how I like it and very well made.
    Tamarind Margarita… Cuervo Gold tequila, Cointreau, tamarind sauce, fresh lime juice, dash of orange and cranberry juice.  My husband ordered this drink and loved it, it was unique and almost tasted like a pani puri margarita.  So creative.  
    Complimentary Amuse Bouche… a puff pastry flavored with chutney.  Incredible.  The coconut-yogurt sauce that accompanied it was fantastic.
    Murgh Kolhapuri… Maharashtrian style chicken cooked with whole spices and peppercorn.  This dish was deliciously flavored in a thick brown gravy and very spicy.  One of the BEST Indian chicken dishes I've ever had.
    Bhagarey Baingan… a Hyderabadi specialty.  Eggplant cooked in an aromatic creamy sauce with peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut.  Although the gravy was delicious and spicy, the eggplant itself lacked flavor and was sorta just thrown in.  Additionally, traditional Bhagarey Baingan are cooked with brinjals, not chopped eggplant.  Having said that, this dish was still very good.
    Nargisi Kofta… lotus root dumplings with homemade cheese cooked in a saffron onion sauce.  Kofta is one of my favorite Indian dishes, however this particular cream based sauce had a dominant flavor of rose water which threw me off just a little.  Definitely a great tasting dish, but it would have been absolute perfection minus the rose water.  
    Basmati Rice… floral and amazing.
    Naan… Indian bread, soft and warm.
    My first serving... I always take a little bit of everything to warm up.
    Mango Cheesecake… we requested a mango cheesecake to go, but to my dismay it looked like a piece of orange tofu, not to mention it tasted a couple days old and had that freezer taste.  Huge disappointment and $9 down the drain, and straight into the garbage!  I don't waste my fat calories on poorly made dessert!
    tamarind 047

    VERDICT:
    4 / 5
    Despite my harsh review on the cheesecake, I have to say Tamarind is one of the better Indian restaurants.  None of the dishes at Tamarind were overly greasy as Indian food served in restaurants sometimes tends to be.  Each dish was cooked in just the right amount of oil rather than floating in oil.  For this reason alone, I will be back at Tamarind.

    Furthermore, considering Tamarind is a “North Indian” restaurant, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to order a “South Indian” dish, specifically speaking the Bhagarey Baingan.  My cousin, Ajay, who raves about Tamarind mentioned the Saag Paneer and Malai Halibut (Grand Prize Winner 2004 Fish Awards) as one of their best dishes.  Of course, he told me this after I dined at Tamarind.

    Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Tamarind, but I tend to be overly critical when it comes to Indian food since I am of Indian origin.  In addition, the drinks at Tamarind are excellent and creative.  Hopefully in the near future, I look forward to trying the dishes my cousin recommended, and perhaps hanging out in their Tea Room to try some of those exotic Indian tea flavors.  Brunch date, anyone?


    Food: Good
    Drinks: Good
    Decor: Excellent
    Service: Average (waiter had an attitude, could have been more helpful in terms of recommendations)
    Value: Excellent



    TELL ME: Have you been to Tamarind?  What was your favorite dish?

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Khushboo says

      June 18, 2012 at 6:55 am

      Wow love how they have taken traditional Indian dishes to the next level- for example I've never heard of an Indian dish with combines peanuts & bhaingan but it does sound good! That's annoying about the dessert but I would've done the exact same and chucked it away- if I'm going to indulge, it has to be something I enjoy! Did they have kulfi on the menu?

      Reply
    2. Ameena says

      June 18, 2012 at 2:59 pm

      I have been to Tamarind and I loved it! It was years ago, when my brother went to NYU but I still remember how good it was.

      We went to an Indian restaurant Saturday night and it was terrible. From the service to the food...nothing was right. Glad your experience was so much better!

      Reply
    3. The Squishy Monster says

      June 18, 2012 at 6:07 pm

      I'm sorry to hear about the waiter and cheesecake but everything else looks AMAZING! I LOVE Indian (it's number 3 to Thai and Korean). I hope you had an otherwise INCREDIBLE birthday, my friend!!!

      Reply
    4. Fashion Meets Food says

      June 18, 2012 at 7:13 pm

      Those drinks look so good!

      xo

      ps here is the link to the RL espradrilles.
      http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/Shoes-viewallshoes-Charla_Espradrilles-lordandtaylor/179280

      Reply
    5. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:20 am

      @Khushboo - I believe they did have kulfi on the menu, however that would have totally melted on my way home. 🙂

      Reply
    6. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:21 am

      @Ameena - yeah, Tamarind is pretty good, but I'm still searching for that perfect 5. Sorry to hear your experience wasn't good Saturday night... sometimes it's just hit or miss.

      Reply
    7. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:22 am

      @Squishy - thanks, everything else was pretty amazing, except the cheesecake. I have to try more Korean food. Thank you, I had a great birthday!!! 🙂

      Reply
    8. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:22 am

      @Fashion Meets Food - thanks!! 🙂

      Reply
    9. Style Dilettante says

      June 19, 2012 at 2:42 pm

      Amazing food porn shots! Happy belated birthday by the way!

      http://www.inherentstylela.com

      Reply
    10. Pam says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:02 pm

      The cheesecake does look strange but the rest of the meal looked delicious.

      Reply
    11. Jen @ The Scrumptious Pumpkin says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:28 pm

      Aww that's too bad you didn't get to enjoy your cheesecake for your birthday dinner! But it looks like the rest of the meal more than made up for it. Great photos - I'm totally starving now! 🙂

      Reply
    12. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says

      June 19, 2012 at 4:56 pm

      I only started eating Indian food a few years ago and now I always get excited to try new Indian restaurants and dishes. Bummer about the cheesecake but that Monsoon drink sounds awesome! Oh and belated happy birthday!

      Reply
    13. Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 7:44 pm

      Wow, it looks like you had an absolutely fabulous birthday dinner! What a fun night out! My husband is still working on converting me to full-on love Indian food, but I'm on my way there, hehe. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    14. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm

      @Style - thanks for the birthday wishes!

      Reply
    15. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 8:58 pm

      @Pam - yup the cheesecake does look strange, it especially sucks on your birthday. 🙁

      Reply
    16. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 8:59 pm

      @Jen - the food at Tamarind was great, you are right, the rest of the dinner more than made up for it.

      Reply
    17. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm

      @Bianca - Yeah, it does take a while to start enjoying Indian food, lots of flavors and spices going on, but you'll eventually fall in love with it. Thank you for the birthday wishes! 🙂

      Reply
    18. honeywhatscooking says

      June 19, 2012 at 9:00 pm

      @Georgia - it does take a while to start enjoying Indian food, you'll get there. Thank you so much!

      Reply
    19. molliee says

      June 19, 2012 at 9:25 pm

      um yum to those drinks! sounds so good!

      Reply
    20. deutsch auf englisch übersetzen says

      June 22, 2012 at 4:45 am

      Great place, very classy Indian.
      Good food never disappointed!

      Reply
    21. Baker Street says

      June 23, 2012 at 2:08 am

      Oh no! Sorry you didn't get to enjoy your cheesecake for your birthday dinner but the rest of the meal looks like it made up for it! 🙂

      Reply
    22. honeywhatscooking says

      June 25, 2012 at 2:04 am

      Thanks guys, besides the cheesecake, it was amazing!

      Reply

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