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“Elettaria”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	West Village	Moderate	Great

ed over a bed of vermicelli noodle salad scented with orange and cumin and tossed with braised boar shoulder meat. It’s a noodle salad you’d want to eat for lunch or that you’d hope to find somewhere for takeout.

While certainly not the most innovative part of the menu, Akhtar’s also having some fun updating more traditional Indian dishes. “Saag paneer” is turned into a sort of Indian “gravy” for ricotta gnocchi ($18), steamed rice cakes are served over a vibrant dal made from lentils stewed with tomato, ginger and garlic confit, and a sausage-sized skewered lamb sausage, a mix of chiles, cumin, cinnamon and coriander, work magic with a cool soothing yogurt and mint raita.

On occasion as a special he does his version of Lugaw, a Filipino dish that’s a nod to Cruz’s heritage. If you’ve had congee, it’s similar, but Lugaw is way more flavorful and interesting, cooked with ginger oil and a broth made from pork tendons that’s topped with slices of wild hamachi and a fried quail egg. Yum. And if he’s serving anything with the fried coconut basmati rice, order it. Last week there was a fluke special with that coconut fried rice and a duck egg. You might want to call ahead and plan dinner accordingly.
Desserts are worth the slight extra weight they’ll put on you. The Rasmali ($7) is a fresh cheese custard that gets soaked in a pond of citrus and cardamom cream. It’s like cheesecake on crack. Indian donuts, or Gulab Jamun, are fried little lumps scented with rose water that are all together too easy to eat. They were gone before they stood a chance.

Food aside, I think you’ll enjoy the service at Elettaria as well, as it is thoughtful and attentive. The only hiccup is that some folks have gotten caught in the quagmire of second or third seatings. The thing is no one ever feels like getting up and leaving once they’re sitting down. The tables are cozy and comfortable and the food and the drinks are great, so why leave? Well, because other people have reserved the table your lingering at. It’s hard to kick people out and yet, there’s gotta be a way to move people along. (In my day we’d buy them a drink at the bar, but I don’t know if that’s done anymore.) In any case, this has been an issue at the restaurant, and it’s one that will hopefully get smoothed out soon. I guess if your worst pro ... [more, click below]

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Posted: March 16, 2008

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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