Featured Dessert: Tabla Cart’s Kulfi Pop
Maryse Chevrière — August 24, 2010
Milk Chocolate and Almond Kulfi Pop from Tabla’s seasonal cart.
Here’s a Flatiron dessert option that not only hits the popsicle trend, but also presents a nearby ice cream alternative for those who have already cycled through Shake Shack’s custard calendar: Tabla cart’s Milk Chocolate and Almond Kulfi Pop.
For those unfamiliar with it, kulfi is a type of flavored, milk-based frozen dessert originally from India. At Tabla’s seasonal cart you can have it sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies ($3), or on a stick as a “pop” ($3) that has been dipped in milk chocolate and covered with slivers of raw almond.
Always Informed: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is Back
Arthur Bovino — May 25, 2010
A Frankie being made at Tabla’s Frankie Cart.
Good news for Flatiron frankies fanatics: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is back. The folks at the cart said they started up again last Thursday. If you haven’t had a frankie, it’s an Indian wrap whose construction is similar to a Kati Roll, save for the thin, egg-washed wrap. You can read more about frankies, and their origin in last year’s announcement of the cart’s arrival.
There are apparently a few menu changes this year. The Pao are gone, so too the Sprouted Bean Chaat, but the Chicken Tikka Frankie has been joined by an excellent version with lamb. The Pombupani (Sparkling Limeade with Pomegranate Juice) are still on the offer— they’re refreshing and not-too-sweet. It looks like the cart’s Kulfi Pops have been joined by another Indian dessert: the Chocolate Chip Cookie Kulfi Sandwich.
Location: Outside Tabla at 11 Madison Park.
Notes: Takeaway only.
Featured Cocktail: Drinks and Snacks at Tabla
Maryse Chevrière — April 08, 2010
The Kumquat Mojito at Tabla.
The outdoor patio area at Tabla might just be one of the best places to grab an après-work drink and snack in the Flatiron District. View of Madison Square Park? Check. Potent, creative cocktails? Check. Savory snacks? Check. A recent visit inspired a cocktail and Indian bread pairing featuring three highlights from each menu.
The Kumquat Mojito ($13.00) is one of Tabla’s more eye-catching drinks— and it’s undoubtedly among the most popular too. It features Cruzan Light Rum, fresh mint, kumquats, and lime. It’s light, tart, and wonderfully refreshing. For those who normally steer clear of the leafy Mojito because of the inevitability of those damned mint shreds getting stuck in the straw, Tabla has mastered a rendition that packs all the cool, herb flavor with minimal foliage. With it, try the doughy, bacon crumble-stuffed naan ($12.00) for that hard-to-get-sick-of, salty-sweet combination.
AlwaysInvestigating: Meat and Potatoes Sandwich-Style
Arthur Bovino — January 26, 2010
Tabla’s Lamb Sandwich with Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Lime and Cucumber Raita.
Meat and potatoes may be a standard combination on a plate, but you don’t always see potatoes as a condiment. Sure, there’s the classic cafeteria move of piling potato chips on a sandwich, and some people spread leftover mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving sandwiches. But when dining out you don’t usually get to eat them both on a sandwich in one bite. While looking through Tabla’s menu, we were reminded about their Lamb Sandwich with mashed potatoes, which made the cut with their revamp. We realized that we’ve been eating potatoes on sandwiches in different forms quite a bit. Consider three sandwiches from Tabla, Rye House, and Bobby’s Burger Palace.
Tabla’s Lamb Sandwich features Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Lime and Cucumber Raita ($26). It’s samosa as sandwich. There’s great lamb flavor, mashed potato texture, tangy lime, and creamy yogurt. It’s impressive that the bread holds up to all the stuff going on inside, especially when you start ladling on the raita. This is a surprisingly messy, heavy sandwich for a power lunch place, but it’s tasty and good for sharing. It takes using potato as condiment to the next level, mixing a condiment, mustard, into it. It’s also served at dinner, but as the “Pulled Lamb ‘Naanini.’
Click here for photographs of meat and potatoes sandwich-style >>
AlwaysPartying: Epicurious’ Ultimate Lunch Break
The Gluttoness — September 30, 2009
From Hill Country BBQ Beef Sandwich with Cole Slaw and Sweet Pickles.
Epicurious Entertains NYC (view) began today, and the mega-event (calendar) featuring celebrity chef demos and tastings, with portions of the proceeds going to Feeding America and the NYC Food Bank, kicked off in Union Square with The Ultimate NYC Lunch Break. The sold-out affair lived up to its lofty moniker. The afternoon’s plentiful spread featured some of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s neighborhood lunchtime favorites, namely Tabla’s Chicken Tikka Frankie and Hill Country’s BBQ Beef Sandwich.
Celebrated chefs like Julian Medina and Seamus Mullen were on-hand to dish out their respective Pork and Pineapple Tacos and Lamb Bacon BLTs. Following Mermaid Inn’s Lobster Roll and Cafe Habana’s Cubano, the Treats Truck came through with an impressive array of sweets, the Pecan Butterscotch Bars being the best of the bunch. For twenty bucks, it won’t be easy to find lunch from this many great diverse restaurants in Manhattan.
Click Here for "The Ultimate Lunch Break's" Dish-by-Dish of >>
FirstLook: Aamchi Pao
Arthur Bovino — June 17, 2009
“There’s always a right time to reinvent yourself,” Chef Surbhi Sahni, told us recently at Aamchi Pao.
No, Chef Sahni isn’t leaving her post as Devi’s pastry chef. But she has joined Nandini Mukherjee as co-owner at the reincarnation of Mukherjee’s West Village restaurant of almost six years, the Indian Bread Co. As previously reported, the Stuffed Parathas and Naanwhichs (grilled Indian “panini”) are gone. There are still Kathi Rolls, but the Naan sandwiches have been replaced by “Pao,” renditions of Pav Bhaji, a Mumbai street food that is essentially an Indian Slider. The word “Pav,” in Marathi (the language of southwestern India), is said to come from Pão, the Portuguese word for bread.
Click here to read more about Aamchi Pao's Mumbai Sliders >>
AlwaysPartying: Top 5 Sweet & Savory at Street & Savory
The Gluttoness — June 10, 2009
“Street and Savory— A Global Street Food Festival for the Benefit of Citymeals-on-Wheels” was one of the most successful tasting events I’ve ever attended, and not because Kelly Choi was hosting. Rather than trying to outdo the next guy with fancier foie gras, the mission at Street & Savory was much simpler: a legion of legendary chefs set out to creatively interpret their favorite street foods. While the dishes weren’t necessarily low-brow, the majority of them kept with the theme, and the most delicious bites were those which could easily be served on the street.
Street cart veterans, like Roy Choi of the famed Los Angeles Kogi BBQ Truck, served Kimchi Quesadillas alongside Jean Georges, Daniel Boulud and Charlie Palmer, who took on the format with impressive results. With a little under forty booths, there was much to be eaten. Our award for creativity goes to Park Avenue Summer’s “3-Minute Picnic.” Of course, this wasn’t a contest, and ultimately, the real winner was Citymeals-on-Wheels, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help feed the homeless, but of course we had our favorites among the many stands.
A quick round-up of the best of the bunch follows.
AlwaysInvestigating: Tabla’s Frankie Cart
The Gluttoness — April 22, 2009
Left to right: a Frankie being made at Tabla’s Frankie Cart, and a composed Frankie.
Yesterday, Yum Sugar quoted Tom Colicchio musing about what could possibly be the post-banh mi, trendsetting ethnic sandwich. He suggested Indian street food, citing the sandwich with a “funny name,” meaning the chicken frankie. It just so happens that last week, in advance of Colicchio’s predictions, the Tabla Frankie Cart resumed outdoor business in front of the restaurant at 11 Madison.
For the uninitiated, a Frankie is an Indian wrap— liken it to the Mumbai burrito. Its construction is similar to a Kati (Roti) roll. Talking about kati rolls and frankies is kind of like an Indian version of the New York and Chicago-style pizza debate. Kati rolls are inexpensive street food first popularized in Kolkata said to have been invented by busy street vendors who didn’t have time to wash plates. Instead, they started serving their marinated and grilled kebabs wrapped in paratha or roti. Aside from the kebab, a typical kati roll includes a spicy coriander chutney, and onions.
Frankies are unique to Mumbai and are distinguished by the egg washing of their casings. They’re said to have been created by a Mr. Amarjit Singh Tibb. Supposedly, Tibb wasn’t inspired by the kati roll, but by a Lebanese preparation of stuffed pita bread similar to shawarma. After a trip to Lebanon in 1967, he worked on creating the right curried fillings, and named his creation for the famed West Indian cricketer, Frank Worrell, actually trademarking the term. The first “Tibbs Frankie” opened in Mumbai more than thirty years ago, and now the chain has franchised locations.
The specialty at Tabla’s Frankie Cart is the Chicken Tikka Frankie (above). It features Bread Bar Chicken Tikka and mint chutney wrapped in an egg-washed “roti.” The wash contains cilantro, chilis and scallion. Inside are moist pieces of chicken that have been marinated in green curry, cumin, pepper, garlic, ginger and scallion. The exterior is surprisingly eggy, the chicken is flavorful, and the green chutney exudes vibrant hints of garlic and mint. Currently, the chicken is the only variety available, but Tabla plans to offer additional vegetarian options once the Greenmarket is better stocked.
Location: Outside Tabla at 11 Madison Park.
Notes: Takeaway only.
HungryChefs: Tap & Tapas
Arthur Bovino — April 21, 2009
Last night fourteen of New York’s most popular chefs gathered in the Westside Loft for dance charity, Groove with Me’s 5th annual Tap & Tapas spring benefit event. Founded in 1996 by Abigail Rosin, Groove With Me is a nonprofit youth development organization that enlists more than 40 volunteer dance teachers to provide free dance classes to inner city girls. For $150, guests were privy to tastes that ranged from Almond Vichyssoise and Bombay “Radga,” to Crispy Pork Cheeks and Confit Lamb’s Belly. All this while watching ballet and tap performances by some of the girls who have benefitted from time volunteered by Groove With Me’s dance teachers and a performance by renowned tapper, Savion Glover (Bring in Da Noise Bring in Da Funk).
The best starter belonged to Top Chef’s Season One winner, Chef Harold Dieterle of Perilla. He brought Taylor Bay Scallops with Pickled Green Papaya Mignonette which had a slight spicy kick. There were several strong, hearty amuses. Chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla served his version of “Ragda” a Mumbai street food consisting of Stewed Peas with Tamarind and Mint Chutney topped with Chickpea Noodles. Table 8’s Chef Govind Amstrong prepared Seared Striped Bass with Sauteéd Cauliflower and a Caper Dill Vinaigrette. And Chef Ryan Skeen of Irving Mill really brought it with a mouth-watering Crispy Lamb Belly with Chickpea Purée (shown left) accompanied by Kumquaat and Grapefruit Marmalade and Goat Cheese Purée (you can find it on his new Spring menu at the end of the week).
A light, sweet touch was added by Erin McKenna’s (Babycakes NYC) gluten-free, vegan Brownie Bites, which were delicious despite their description. But it was the “Egg” dessert (shown right) by Le Bernardin’s Michael Laiskonis which held the spotlight. The dessert was served in a hollowed, brown egg shell minus the top. Inside, the shell was filled with Chocolate Cream, Caramel Foam, several drops of Maple Syrup and sprinkled with Maldon Sea Salt—we had seconds.
During the event we had a few moments to speak with some of the chefs about some of the things they’re currently most excited about.
Click here for the Tap & Tapas Menu and to read our Chef Round-Up >>
Danny Meyer’s Chicken Soup for the Soul
The Hungry Goat — March 06, 2009
For Danny Meyer’s “Chicken Soup” initiative, the restaurateur has challenged the chefs at his esteemed restaurants (save Shake Shack) to come up with their own spin on classic Chicken Soup. For every bowl that is sold during this promotion, which lasts through March 31st, $2 will be donated to City Harvest. The truth is, in these difficult times, a comforting bowl of chicken soup might benefit the diner just as much as the charity. Especially when the soups in question feature ingredients like sweetbreads, black truffles, and ricotta dumplings.
I took to the streets in the name of culinary benevolence to see how Meyer’s restaurants were interpreting this simple dish. What I found were five very different, very delicious, interpretations of chicken soup, each a reflection of the restaurant and the chef.
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