Going to Manhattan anytime soon?
Sure you are. You have a job interview, you have a class field trip, it’s reading week and you’re bored — anyway, whatever the alleged reason for your trip, you know that deep down you’re mostly looking for a good restaurant. It’s okay — that’s what we’re here for. The NewsFeed suggests you check out the neighborhood around East 28th St. and Lexington.
Officially known as Murray Hill, it’s more commonly referred to as Curry Hill due to its profusion of Indian and Pakistani restaurants. This turmeric lover’s paradise offers every imaginable variation on South Asian food — from Curry in a Hurry to classy and overpriced, from kosher-and-vegetarian halal to ground up mystery meat.
If you’re having difficulty choosing, go no further than the corner of 28th and Lex for one of the area’s highlights: Southern Indian food at Tiffan Wallah. And if you think that’s a cool sounding name, try ordering some iddly (lentil and rice cakes) or utthapam (savory crepes). Or mulligatawny soup. Come on, say it out loud. You know you want to.
After dinner, stop by a little store called Kalustyan’s to admire the mind-boggling variety of spices, dried fruit and nuts, and mysterious-looking candies. If you need a walk and a cool-down, you can also head over to Pinkberry on West 32nd and 5th for frozen yogurt like you’ve never had it before. Yes, it’s not technically in the area, and yes, it’s a chain store, but it takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes to walk there, and it’s the perfect post-Indian food dessert if you’re not into cheese balls soaked in rose water (not that there’s anything wrong with that). A cup of yogurt topped with mango and coconut tastes like a mango lassi that died and was rewarded for its good karma with reincarnation in a higher form.
—Sarah Wolf
2 responses so far ↓
1 New Havener // Apr 15, 2008 at 10:38 am
Curry Hill is quite possibly the most overrated stretch of restaurants in Manhattan. For a couple of years, I was living a block away and was constantly disappointed.
For great Southern Indian food, try Swagat, right over the city line in West Haven, instead.
If you’re looking for great Indian food in Manhattan, there are better, slightly more expensive options farther uptown as well as a couple of standouts in Brooklyn.
It is also worth pointing out that the chef of Thali, which has a branch in Downtown New Haven in addition to the wealthiest part of Fairfield County, was named “The Most Exciting Indian Chef in America” by the Rosengarten Report. The food there is just as good as any of the most upscale places in Manhattan (like Tabla), even if the decor and wine list doesn’t quite match.
2 alum // Apr 17, 2008 at 10:19 pm
agree with above poster. I am an ‘01 alum, live a block from Curry Hill, and the restaurants really aren’t that great. Much better Indian in the city, particularly east 6th street. However, there is a Pinkberry on 3rd Avenue and 25th Street, which is a lot closer than the one on 5th Ave. Shame on the author for not pointing that out! There is an even better fro-yo place on 30th and 3rd that’s even better, but I forget the name.
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