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“Mehtaphor”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Indian	Tribeca	Moderate	Great

"Yes, Madam. I am so pleased to speak with you," the gentleman on the phone replied in an English accent licked with the rich sounds of India. "Madam?" I thought. He sounded as though he was brewing a pot of Assam tea. I had never interviewed a chef who called me madam before. But then I had never met anyone like Jehangir Mehta before, either. I was working on a story for the NY Times Dining section at the time (about seven years ago, now) interviewing him about the fiery breadsticks he was serving at the restaurant he was pastry chef at the time, Compass, on the Upper West Side. We talked a bit, and I learned that though he was born in India, he too was of Persian descent. We stayed in touch. I followed his career, and as I got to know Jehangir over the years, he dropped the Madam, but he has always been an extremely sincere and charming gentleman, not to mention talented, with stints as pastry chef at Jean Georges, Union Pacific, Virot and Aix where he became famous (or notorious) for his licorice panna cotta.

These days he is best known for his lovely modern Indian restaurant, Graffiti, an enchanted cubbyhole on 10th street. The room is barely larger than a pillbox, the sort of place a genie in a bottle might feel comfortable, decorated with a sort of Arabian nights vibe: candles flickering, bejeweled sconces, tasseled throw pillows, and the like. The place is a gem, the kind of room that wraps its arms around you in a snug and welcome embrace.

Jehangir's newest restaurant takes the modern Indian snack food he developed at Graffiti and shuttles it downtown to Tribeca where he is serving a similar feisty selection of small and large plates drawn from his Persian and Indian background in the Duane Street Hotel. Fans of Graffiti will be happy to know that a 75-minute wait is no longer needed to take part in his fantastically flavorful Indian street burger with garlic fries and chipotle mayo. Mehtaphor is a bit larger than Graffiti (though I have shoe boxes that dwarf that room), and at the moment dinner is relatively quiet. You can walk in and have your favorites (and some wonderful new items) in no time at all.

The room, a long rectangular space that faces Church Street, has similar hallmarks to Graffiti: throw pillows, crystal chandeliers, and sweet little touches from home like coffee table books and a hand-carved wooden chess set out in the stylish front lounge. It also bears the same ge ... [more, click below]

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Posted: December 30, 2010

Other restaurants in Tribeca :
+ Lunchbox Food Company--Closed   + 66: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED   + Ola-- Closed   + Bouley   + Dominic   + Landmarc   + Pace-- Closed   + EN Japanese Brasserie   + Centrico   + Cercle Rouge   + The Harrison   + Turks & Frogs Tribeca   + Devin Tavern   + Dani-- Closed Now   + Bacaro/Smith & Mills   + The Harrison   + Matsugen, By Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Forge   + Macao Trading Company   + Harbour   + Review text tbd...   + Mehtaphor   + Brushstroke   + Jung Sik   

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