Tabla: Better Late Than Never

The announcement came as a total shock, taking myself and many others completely by surprise. In a letter posted on their website, Chef Floyd Cardoz regretfully informed the public that, after a run of ten years, Tabla would be shutting its doors at the end of 2010. Having earned three stars from the New York Times, Tabla was known for marrying French technique with Indian flavors and had long sat atop my ever expanding list of must-try restaurants. But it's said that every cloud has a silver lining and the unfortunate news of the restaurant's impending closure proved more than enough motivation for me to finally reserve a table before it bid the public adiéu.

Chaating it up at Bhojan Vegetarian

I've always despised the large helping of self-righteousness that sometimes goes along with vegetarianism and its ilk. Yet in the past year I have been making an effort to eat less meat, certainly not out of qualms about eating animals, but out of a growing sense that I should be more conscious about what I'm eating and how it got to my plate. In doing so, I've been eating a lot of Indian food, which is one of the few (if only) cuisines that does not leave me missing meat.

Lately I've been craving chaat and other Indian snacks, which are often vegetarian.  The urge was especially strong after recently reading about a delicious looking Indian grilled cheese sandwich from Mumbai Express in a post by Joe DiStefano on World's Fare. Unfortunately, Mumbai Express is way the hell out near Great Neck, and it would take a group of people (and perhaps a car) for the proper motivation to make the arduous trek.

Then I read about Bhojan, a Gujarati Kosher vegetarian restaurant serving chaat (and the vaunted cheese sandwiches) that just opened in Curry Hill. It is also run by the owners of Chola and Tadka, two of my favorite places in my neighborhood for Indian. I instantly planned a lunch for the next day, and wanting to try a variety of dishes (certainly not out of any sense of "friendship"), I rounded up my roommate (henceforth known as "The Quaker") and the DAsian to make the 10 minute non-trek to 28th and Lexington.