DriveThru - Savoury NYC

A quick stop into where to eat with Pete!

Savoury is sweet! Chef/owner Lala Sharma (formerly of Surya, that I loved, in the West Village) presents a menu influenced by Western and Southern Indian cuisine. On August 15th, Savoury will commemorate Indian Independence Day with a $50 PP tasting menu (with both meat and vegetarian options) amid celebratory, flashy Bollywood music. Look for appetizers such as Palak Moong Chaat with spinach, sprouted lentils in onion, tamarind and mint sauce or be teased by the Tiranga Kebab with basil, chicken tikka and ginger kebabs, the colors of which represent the Indian flag.

Moving on to mains, Chettinad, a dish prepared with either lamb or goat is served in a nostril-tingling sauce of black pepper, curry leaves, tamarind and coconut milk; Chaana Masala is the classic dish composed of chickpeas, slow-cooked in onions and tomatoes. Gulab Jamun for dessert comes in the form of small dried milk spheres, gently cooked and boiled in a sugary syrup. All of the mains come with naan, Basmati rice, daal, raita and mango chutney--and there's a complimentary glass of wine or Indian beer in it for you too!

And P.S. The party continues on over the weekend through August 17th, with 1947 beer for three bucks.

Savoury is located at 489 Columbus Ave. btwn 83rd/84th Sts, New York, NY, 212-875-1400, SavouryNYC.com

Pete's Dish - May 8

Mother's Day is coming up May 11th already! Savoury, a recently arrived Indian restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side offers an easy (and incredibly cheap) Mother's Day Three Course Brunch for $20. Chef/owner Lala Sharma's (formerly of the delicious Surya) menu influenced by Western and Southern Indian cooking. Try appetizers crispy cauliflower tossed about in tangy garlic tomato sauce, or chaat, crispy wafers served with onion, potatoes, yogurt, tamarind and mint sauce. Main courses (served with naan, basmati rice, and cucumber raita) include buttery chicken tikka cooked in the tandoor oven and enveloped in a tomato cream sauce; lamb or goat is cooked with crushed black pepper, curry leaves, tamarind, and coconut milk. Finish it all off with traditional Indian ice cream--and all mothers will also receive a complimentary mango lassi!

Savoury is located at 489 Columbus Ave, btwn 83rd/84th Sts, 212-875-1400, SavouryNYC.com. 

And while at it, in the mood for more Indian food? Here we present the opening of the first authentic Sindhi restaurant in New York City's Curry Hill, featuring vegetarian Indian cooking. The Mulchandani brothers opened Kailash Parbat in Bombay in 1952. Since then, 28 additional locations have opened in Chennai, Kochi, Surat, Bangalore, Hyderbabad, Singapore, and London before landing in Manhattan. Everything is made in house daily, down to the freshly ground  garam masala spice blend and when a recipe dictates, they import ingredients straight from India. Look for puffed rice mixed with chickpeas and tamarind and cilantro chutneys, saucy savory cakes and fried Indian breads with curried chickpeas to get started before trying gingery mint and spinach paneer, Indian cheese, and dishes of yellow lentils flavored with cumin and garlic as well as other Indo-Chinese, traditional Sindhi and tandoor dishes. Kailash Parbat is located at 99 Lexington Ave, between 27^th/28^th Sts, 212-679-4232, KailashParbatNY.com. 

Now for an entirely different taste, Michaels of Brooklyn is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year and to amp up the occasion, they are launching a cooking contest on Facebook. The winner will receive a free case (6-32oz jars) of their house-made authentic Italian tomato sauce. Here's what to do: “like” the Michaels of Brooklyn Sauce Facebook page, post your favorite recipe, using any flavor of Michaels of Brooklyn sauce such as marinara, puttanesca, arrabbiata, home style gravy along with a photo of the dish.  Entries will be judged on originality, the photo, and how many “likes” and "shares" it gets. Send as many recipes as you wish before Friday, May 23 at 5:00pm EST.  The contest is already live, and the Facebook page can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/mobsauces.  The winner will be notified via Facebook before or by May 30.

Pete's Dish - March 25

You must believe in spring! To help kick off the season, Manon announced their after work special and bar menu. What a lark to receive 30% off all beverages from 5:00pm - 8:00pm daily at the gorgeous main bar! The whole multi-leveled space is an absolute enchantment and the new food menu includes smoked duck on buckwheat, bar crudite, blue cheese and white chocolate crab cakes (imagine?), braised pork sliders and a duo of beets. Manon is located at 407 W 14th St, New York, NY, 212-596, 7255, Manon-NYC.com.

Now, despite the fact that spring hardly has sprung, Easter will still be hopping along soon (April 20^th to be exact). Ken & Cook has an appropriate basket filled with a prix fixe for Easter Sunday. The three course menu will include an appetizer, pasta or entree and dessert for $45 per person—and live jazz! Expect such things as earthy beets, homemade ricotta, radishes, pistachios, lobster ravioli with asparagus sauce, wild mushroom risotto, sauteed wild mushrooms with truffle oil to flood the table with a final flourish of vanilla creme brulee. Ken & Cook is located at 19 Kenmare St, New York, NY, 212-966-3058, KenAndCook.com. 

The Orale MK concept was the mind-child of NYC restaurateurs Alex Mendelsohn and Louis Alvarez. And now, with Beyond Restaurants Group, Cristina Castañeda is on board to translate the former Café Frida space into a new Mexican spot on the Upper West Side. Orale Mexican Kitchen brings Mexican-inspired cuisine to a hipster scene alongside agave-based cocktails. Try the trio of guacamole among signature dishes, as well as bocadillo bites, tacos and a range of platos principales. We look forward to the Mexican Mac & Cheese! 60 seats are most accommodating and a 30-seat courtyard patio is soon to open as well—do you get the sense I can’t wait for spring? Orale Mexican Kitchen is located at 768 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 212-749-2929, OraleMK.com.  

The owners of Surya (sadly closed) present Savoury, a new modern Indian restaurant opening March 26th that also happens to be on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Chef/owner Lala Sharma’s cooking is influenced by Western and Southern Indian cooking with the fragrant aroma of spices floating over the intimate lounge, cocktail bar and dining room. Appetizers include warm sprouted lentils tossed with rice puffs with mustard seeds and fried curry leaves and crispy cauliflower in garlic tomato sauce. Yogurt-marinated baby lamb chops, scallops in tamarind-coconut sauce, vegetarian cooking and tandoor cuisine are also among the house specialties. Of course there are requisite biryani rice dishes and crispy, puffy breads such as garlic naan. Why not sip on a lime-green Tandoori Sour with Strawberry Stoli, Midori and sour mix while at it? Savoury is located at 489 Columbus Ave, 212-875-1400, SavouryNYC.com.