I love Tamarind, an upscale Indian restaurant located in TriBeCa. And there is one dish I specifically always order there: the crab curry that they serve as an appetizer. I do not really see crab on Indian menus, at the exception of the now unfortunately closed Balucchi’s that had a superb dish, spicy, but so good, that I did not care if my mouth was on fire!

So, on a Saturday evening, as we were walking in the area, we decided to check Tamarind. It was still there, with a nice setup outside that we decided to try, instead of eating inside. And it was perfect as I really do not like when a restaurant is too noisy, appreciating a quiet evening with a nice conversation and, of course, good food.

We started by ordering some cocktails. A cocktail called the Lychee Blossom for Jodi, that was made with fresh strawberries, lychee puree and pineapple juice, quite refreshing. On my side, I went for the Raj Royal, a drink made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, orange bitters and rosemary liqueur. Quite good, I wish they used an Indian whisky to make it a bit more unique. I have to say that rosemary is a nice touch that gives another dimension to a cocktail. I am gonna have to find that liqueur somewhere…

With the cocktails, as an amuse, they brought us some puff pastry with tomato puree and cheese.

Then came the long awaited crab curry! It is made with jumbo lump crab meat, chili, tamarind and garlic.

For her main, Jodi just got some dal makhni with naan and paratha. The dal was really good, thick and creamy.

On my side, I got a dish called Zameen Doz, that is a Dover sole baked in a clay pot, in a pasanda sauce that is made with cream, coconut, peanut, almond and cardamon. It came very hot, the sauce still bubbling. It was good, creamy, a bit spicy, with the sole being perfectly cooked. The only thing that bothered me a bit is the fact that you need to pay for rice. When a dish is $44, you can probably throw in a small bowl of rice…

Last was dessert. We decided to go for the tres leches, thinking that they would put their own twist on it, but their did not. However, it was a pretty good tres leches. We ate it with a chai that was a nice way to end the meal.

So, overall, it was a delicious meal. I am glad I ordered an all seafood meal, fish especially not being something I order in Indian restaurants. The food was superb, although on the pricey side. But it is worth it if you can afford it.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Tamarind - 99 Hudson St, New York, NY 10013

Tamarind in TriBeCa, NYC

I Just Want To Eat!