I was recently invited to attend the First Annual Curry Hill Crawl hosted by the Indian Fine Dining Group. After my trip to India earlier this year, I was very excited to try some authentic eats back home. I was not disappointed.
For those unfamiliar, “Curry Hill” is the southern stretch of Murray Hill where the smell of frat basement is replaced by the much more pleasing aromoa of Indian spices. And here it’s easy to remind yourself that cuisine of the subcontinent is about a lot more than just curries (we had one in about 20 dishes). This year’s crawl stopped at three restaurants all on Lex between 27th & 28th Sts. that featured Bengali, Kebab and Southern spots. Hitting all three in a row gives you some idea of the variety of Indian cooking out there. I highly recommend checking it out next year. Below are my thoughts on each place:
Haldi (102 Lexington Avenue)
Haldi offers dishes from the Bengali region of Indian with an emphasis on those from Calcutta’s Indian-Jewish community (who knew that was a thing?) As a result, some of the dishes actually seem more American than Indian. The place has a casual feel with with big windows lighting up the tables in front and mirrors, green chandeliers and serving bowls on the ceiling in back. My favorites:
Cheese Samosa 
As soon as I saw this, I wondered why more samosas are not filled with cheese. Biting into it only reinforced that feeling. Its sort of a cheddary cheese with spices and peppers inside.
Beet N Potato Cutlet 
More like a little Indian spiced croquette than a cutlet. The sweetening addition of beets is a nice touch and something I had never seen in Indian cuisine.
Gobi Lasoni One thing I learned while in India is a lot of dishes have Chinese influences. The best way to think about this one is a sweet & sour cauliflower.
Paneer Kulcha It’s hard to imagine an Indian meal without some sort of bread. Stuffed with soft paneer cheese, this kulcha (sort of a thicker naan) is a strong choice.
Chote Nawab (115 Lexington Avenue)
Think of Chote as your hipster Indian spot. They serve their drinks in mason glasses and the decor is kind of a mix of Bollywood art and modern elements. Unlike Haldi, they’ve decided to hang their serving bowls on the wall. Maybe it’s ironic? They offer more of the curries and tandoori dishes you typically expect but also an assortment of interesting street foods and kebabs. My favorites:
Baingan Dahiwala An eggplant cooked in a sweet & tangy yogurt-tamarind sauce.
Aloo Panner Bharwan Potatoes stuffed with cheese. Some things just work in every culture.
Reshmi Kebab Indian don’t eat a lot of meat, but they definitely know how to cook chicken. Juicy, spiced and charred with veggies and a fresh squeeze of lime.
Dosai (104 Lexington Avenue)
In contrast to the typical color bombs you imagine decorating Indian restaurants, Dosai goes with a straightforward white & black interior. It’s so sleek you almost expect your curries to be deconstructed and curry’s to be some sort of foram. But the Southern Indian food here is as authentic as it comes and affordabley priced.
South Indian Thali We received this thali-style plate above that’s not on the menu, so I’ll break it down. In the middle is a dosa (thin rice and lentil pancake) which is one of my favorite Indian street foods and this rendition if just about perfect. It’s a rip-and-dip food where you take pieces and dip them into the surrounding chutneys. Clearly I couldn’t wait until after the photo to get my hands on it.
In back is an uttapam, is sort of a lentil omelet with a bunch of onions, peppers and other veggies mixed in. It’s a little heartier than a dosa and naturally it’s also meant to be dipped in chutney.
The onion bhaji at 1 o’clock is like an Indian spiced Bloomin’ Onion. It makes for a great snack or palate cleanser between bites.
