New York: Dhaba

It may be surprising to some that Indian cuisine is not something I know a whole lot about. In fact, it wasn’t until about two years ago that I began to actively pursue good, authentic Indian food. Admittedly, my prior knowledge on the subject had been limited to the dishes I’d had at the homes of my Indian friends in grade school (as good a start as any, I suppose) and the small town Indian buffets I sometimes frequented in college (a step down, to say the least). It was the memory of the great Indian food that I’d had intermittently as a child that prompted me to renew my quest to find the flavors and textures that had so fascinated me in my youth – the onion-y dense bread studded with potato that my friend Arati used to sneak to me from her lunch box under our desks in the third grade; the array of curries that I once found myself staring down during dinner at a classmate’s house in middle school.

Enter Dhaba, a dimly lit Punjabi restaurant in New York’s Murray Hill/Flatiron neighborhood, dubbed Curry Hill due to its abundance of Indian restaurants. Its modern ambiance and high-decibel crowd don’t exactly scream authenticity but let your eyes adjust to the darkness and you’ll see that the noisemakers are mostly Indian families and couples, not inebriated Wall Street brokers and anorexic scenesters.

Mango lassi

Navratan korma: paneer, fresh vegetables, pineapples, nuts, creamy almond sauce.

Tawa aloo gobi: potatoes, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, tawa masala

Dhaba’s dizzyingly varied menu offers everything from the familiar to the unpronounceable. Yes, you could order chicken tikka masala, but please don’t - greater pleasures are to be found in the unknown. Try the navratan korma, a paneer (Indian cheese) dish stewed with vegetables, pineapple and nuts in an almond cream sauce. This isn't a dish I would have ordered myself, but I'm glad my companion did - the sauce was thick and naturally sweet from the pineapple and stewed vegetables, the paneer the perfect blend of firmness and creaminess with a mild milky flavor. It stood in stark contrast to the paneers I've had in the past, where the texture of the cheese so often approximates that of a waterlogged sponge. Or opt for the tawa aloo gobi, a medley of potatoes, cauliflower, onions and tomatoes in a pungent tawa masala spice blend.

Bhuna lamb mirchwala: thick onion tomato sauce, garlic, garam masala, green chilies

Murgh makhni (butter chicken): roasted chicken strips, bell pepper, creamy tomato sauce

For the carnivorous, lamb is a wise choice. The bhuna lamb mirchwala features chunks of lamb in a fiery sauce of onions, tomatoes and garam masala. Texturally, the lamb in Dhaba's curries are a mixed bag - some tender and fatty, others tougher, less favored cuts - but all flavorful. When it comes to spice, Dhaba (admirably) refuses to relent to the frailties of the Western palate - spicy here means spicy. For those who insist on playing it safe, the murgh makhni (butter chicken) is a good bet. Pleasantly tangy and creamy with the occasional undercurrent of heat, it's the girl next door of curry.

Garlic naan

Aloo pea paratha: leavened bread, spiced potato, peas

Tandoori chicken

However, Dhaba is not without its weak spots. During both visits, Dhaba's bread failed to impress. The generous amount of minced garlic on the garlic naan imparted an overpoweringly bitter flavor to the bread, which lacked the airy, springy quality I have come to expect from naan. An aloo pea paratha's stodgy texture detracted from its otherwise enjoyable potato and pea filling. I took bite after bite, waiting for some vestige of flakiness to show itself, but it never did. And the tandoori chicken seemed to serve an almost perfunctory purpose - moist and well-seasoned, but certainly not a standout dish.

Still, Dhaba's curries and vegetarian dishes are deliciously thick and expertly seasoned, and the mango lassi is outstanding. Visit just once and you will feel the urge to return in order to sample more of their extensive menu. The best strategy at Dhaba is to take on the unfamiliar. Chances are, you will be pleasantly surprised or, as in my case, find what you were looking for all along.

Dhaba

108 Lexington Ave.
(between 27th St & 28th St)
New York, NY 10016

Phone: (212) 679-1284

Best dishes: Curries, vegetarian/vegan dishes, lassi

Hours: Mon-Thu 12 pm - 12 am; Fri-Sat 12 pm - 1 am; Sun 12 pm - 10:30 pm

Things to know: $9 take-out lunch specials on weekdays; $10 lunch buffet Mon-Sat; $12.95 lunch buffet on Sundays