Thursday, March 24, 2011

bloggie talkie

When I was in high school, I went into the city for three reasons: to visit my aunt, to see plays, on Broadway and off, and to go out for Indian food. I hadn't grown up with the spicy cuisine but upon first taste, I quickly fell in love with it. It was just so flavorful and filling and as healthy (or "unhealthy") as I'd wanted. My friends and I frequented the tiny yet authentic eateries the East Village for these meals, and as such, it became the first neighborhood that I was familiar with.
Fast forward a little less than ten years (that many?!) and my New Yorker-ness has improved quite a bit. Earlier this week, Shayne and I met Megan, Sofia, and Leslie for an Indian dinner at Bombay Talkie. A plan, I might add, that was made a month in advance via e-mail... as opposed to at the lunch table the day before. Oh how times have changed.
As soon as we'd gathered at the Chelsea find (made possible by the ever-wonderful ScoutMob), we ordered a French bottle of smokey Carmenere Reserve. Naan was quickly a must and we chose to have ours with cilantro and red chili flakes. Being as we were a table of five, we also ordered a second community carb plate with Puri, a whole-wheat flatbread that I'd never had. It was deep-fried and delicious.
For my main dish, I went the vegetable route and ordered Bhindi (masala sauteed okra) with lemon basmati rice. A few bites of Shayne's Chole Peswari (spicy garbanzo beans in a ginger-garlic paste, green chiles and coriander) and Leslie's Sukhi Harabara Beans (string beans, onions, tomatoes lightly spiced with cumin, coriander, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and mango powder served with mint and coriander chutney) made their way to into my belly as well. I needed fuel after The Yoga Playground at David Barton Gym.
The meal was fantastic, the atmosphere was sleek and fun (the tapestry behind Sofia's head was influenced by Bollywood) and the company was, as to expected, phenomenal. In the next few months I probably won't be able to travel as far as I'd like (for reasons of time and money) but I'm glad to be in such a cultural and ever-changing city while I await my next trip. Having foodie friends like these to explore it with is going to make for a very exciting time.

11 comments:

  1. Loveee loveee indian foooood!

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  2. Love Indian food! :D Sounds like you had a lovely meal and meet-up!

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  3. i love that the meaning of and our associations with "the city" change as we grow older. when i was a little kid, i went to school and lived most of my life in "the city," and referred to "the country" as either suburban or rural areas all sort of grouped together as one. my parents' house in the catskills was my "country" where i explored outside at my own free will, free of parents and such. i love that the city has grown with me, too, since i couldn't simply go out and explore until high school. now, the restaurant world - puffed fried naan and all - is my oyster, and i dig it. :) thanks for elucidating such a memory for me!

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  4. being in nyc is 100% the reason i have managed to stay satisfied in one place after so much travel. i'm glad to be jetsetting again in the next couple months, but over the past couple years, being here has made all the difference. the combination of all the different neighborhoods and cultures and all the types of cuisine to try make it seem like you are taking trips just by walking somewhere new.

    i loved our dinner as always! thanks for suggesting the idea. :)

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  5. Sana: You and me both!

    Little Bookworm: That I did. Glad you're a fan too :)

    sofia: Thanks for sharing that memory! Growing up does have it's perk. Looking forward to eating our way through that oyster :).

    leslie: Truer words have never been said. See you soon!

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  6. indian food is one of my favorites!!
    your dish (and the naan bread with chili flakes) sounds absolutely delicious. totally my kind of meal! glad you had fun with the girls :)

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  7. alovelyglass: Oh it was. Come visit me and we can have just as much fun and as delicious of a meal :)

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  8. Reading this post brought the taste of those delicious chickpeas back to my mouth... and the taste of that wine. Wonderful food, wonderful people, wonderful night.

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  9. Shayne: Yay :) look forward to doing it again sometime soon.

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  10. SO jealous of all your meet-ups! i can't wait to hang out with you all at once - hugs and love!

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  11. Holly: Yay! That'll be so, so great. Hugs to you too, dear. I miss you!

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