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“Graffiti”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Indian	East Village	Cheap Eats	Great

uku and Ssam Bar are exceptional, indeed, but these are something special too and they deserve a run for the money. I’d love to put them head-to-head in a taste test.

Jehangir’s Indian riff on a pizza is a flatbread swiped with coriander and mint chutney and topped with slices of tender chicken cooked in a Tandoor Masala mixture of yogurt, red chiles, cumin, fenugreek, and coriander. He’s also making one of this city’s best and most under the radar burgers ($15), fashioned from beef but treated like a kebab in terms of its seasoning (cumin, chiles, onions, ginger) and served in slider form (there are two per order), topped with onions and lettuce with your choice of tomato ketchup or homemade chipotle mayo and a few garlic-roasted fingerling potatoes instead of fries.

Jehangir is a chef known for his desserts. He’s been the pastry chef most recently at Aix, but also at Virot, Compass, and Jean-Georges. He’s also recently published a beautiful dessert cookbook, out last month, called Mantra (Harper Collins). Surprisingly this restaurant is not really about dessert, it’s more a showcase for his savory side. That said, there’s a very good hazelnut chocolate caviar cupcake that’s soft and moist almost like a baba. There’s also a halva mascarpone and date cream and a crumble made with cranberries and apples, and that’s it. This may be a disappointment to some, and perhaps it will inspire Mehta to open a shop for his desserts, but in the meantime, he’s serving really exciting savory plates at Graffiti and making a strong case for follow up book with these recipes.

While the food is really good, and the place is a lot of fun, I will emphasize that Graffiti is not for everyone. It’s not for people who can’t sit on a chair without a back (aka a stool), nor is it for people who want privacy or a lot of room to move around while eating. It’s a tight space and while it’s also charming to some, it may be highly uncomfortable to others. I’d say this is not the place to bring parents or grandparents, or anyone who is particularly high maintenance. But if you’re looking for a place to kick back, have some delicious, homey Indian-inspired eats, and spend an evening with friends and possibly new ones, this is your place. It’s also really good f ... [more, click below]

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Posted: June 29, 2008

Other restaurants in East Village :
+ Yujin-- Closed   + Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar   + Mermaid Inn   + Five Points   + Lavagna   + Five Points   + Bond Street   + Jewel Bako   + Alphabet Kitchen   + In Vino   + Bao 111   + Chikalicious   + Il Buco   + Hearth   + Lima's Taste   + Mercadito   + Hedeh   + Momofuku   + Una Pizza Napoletana   + Winebar   + Uovo-- CLOSED   + Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction   + Gotham Bar & Grill   + Colors   + Chinatown Brasserie   + Knife and Fork   + European Union-- NEW CHEF; SEE APRIL 2007 Review   + Aroma Kitchen and Winebar   + Stand   + European Union   + Mercat   + Gemma   + Back Forty   + The Smith   + Seymour Burton   + Belcourt   + Graffiti   + The Redhead   + Double Crown    + Apiary   + Joe Doe   + Apiary by guest reviewer Kiri Tannenbaum   + DBGB   + Northern Spy   + Goat Town   + Saxon + Parole   + Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria   + Acme   + Calliope   + Nicoletta   + JEPPNEY by Claire Jaffe   + Feast   

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