I went to Tabla with a friend for New Years Eve dinner. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful from the moment we entered the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere at Tabla complemented the delicious and interesting food, creating a perfect blend of taste and ambiance. My advice to anyone eating here is to be prepared to spend a lot... otherwise you can check out the Bread Bar downstairs, which is a bit cheaper. I'm no expert on "Indian fusion" food, but everything I ate, from the naan to the kulfi, really impressed me. Chef Floyd Cardoz creates dishes that combine various flavors in new and surprising ways, yielding interesting menu items that can't be found anywhere else. We were limited to a narrow selection of items from the 3-course menu ($75) because it was NYE -- we could have eaten from the 5-course ($105) or 7-course ($135) tasting menus but we thought $75 each was enough to spend on food. I know our meal would have cost significantly less had it not been New Years Eve, though. That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed all of our food and shared everything. Appetizers: the Hudson Valley Duck Samosa and Tabla's Crab Cakes, both of which were delicious. The samosa was expecially enjoyable. Main dishes: the Sweet Spiced Braised Oxtail and the Tapioca Crusted Shrimp & Scallop. The oxtail was filled with flavor and reminded me a little bit of my mother's brisket actually... it was phenomenal. The shrimp/scallop dish was tasty, but only included two shrimp and 2 scallops, which wasn't enough to warrant the $75 price. Dessert: Tahitian Vanilla Bean Kulfi (see pic) and Cranberry Vacherin, which had layers of Meringue. The Vacherin was just ok but the Kulfi was the perfect end to the meal and a must-have if you eat at Tabla. I especially liked the great service (as a former waiter that is important to me) throughout the night. I would recommend Tabla to anyone who wants to try new, interesting, and delicious food from one of the great NYC chefs.
Pros: Interesting and Unique Menu, Great Ambiance, Exceptional Service, Great Drinks
Cons: Expensive
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