Jena works at Tabla for a day!

July 17, 2009


photo: Continentalrestaurantweek.com

 

At the Big Apple Barbeque a few weeks ago, the Young and Hungry met Brady, a round-faced baby who smiled on command and made my heart instantly melt. (You might remember him from our recap video).  We had no idea that little Brady’s father, Richard Coraine, is the COO of the Union Square Hospitality Group. The barbeque was his event! I kept in touch with Richard, who invited me to spend a day trailing Tabla for a “behind the scenes” experience of the restaurant... 


Tabla, an Indian-inspired restaurant, and the fourth Danny Meyer venture, opened in 1998. Due to mixed diner responses in its early years—some people thought the food was “too Indian” and others wanted it to be “more Indian”—Tabla features two dining experiences within its walls. The balcony-level dining room, Tabla, is a more refined setting with white tablecloths and an owl-like view of Madison Square Park; hostesses describe the food as “American cuisine with Indian spices.” On the ground floor, Bread Bar provides a more casual, less expensive menu of home-style and street-style Indian cooking. Bread Bar was conceived of as a mere “snack” spot, but now books more reservations than its fancier, upstairs sibling. 


Bread Bar Photo: Continentalrestaurantweek.com

 

Tabla photo: Continentalrestaurantweek.com


I arrived at the restaurant at 11am, one hour before opening. Terry Coughlin, Tabla’s general manager, greeted me with a smile and sat me down at one of the Bread Bar tables.  After getting acquainted and discussing what I wanted to learn at Tabla --“everything”-- we got to work. Or at least Terry got to work, and I followed him around like an obedient puppy.  


At 11:15 we headed upstairs for “family meal,” an event that happens twice daily, before lunch and dinner service. In the corner area of Tabla’s dining room a buffet was in place, featuring penne pasta, a meat dish, a vegetable course, and a few other side dishes. Following Terry’s lead, I grabbed a plate and loaded it with colorful options before taking a seat alongside two of Tabla’s waiters. 


Terry Coughlin


The waiters I sat with were Peter and Laura, two veteran servers. I asked Laura how children fare with the sophisticated, Indian-infused menu at Tabla. “Most of them are little foodies so they’re fine,” she said. “We can make them a chicken tikki or cheese with naan.” I could just picture little Brady ordering his “Indian grilled cheese” in a few years.  Or maybe not. Maybe he’d spring for the Halibut. Though the food for family meal would not have befit the Tabla menu--consisting of such items as rice flaked halibut with watermelon curry--it was fresh and tasty, and eating it made me feel like I was part of the “family.” 


At 11:35 Terry took me on a tour of the kitchen. I met executive chef Floyd Cardoz, a native of Bombay, who studied food and restaurant management in Bombay and Switzerland, culminating in his perfected ability to merge Western cuisine with Indian spices and soul. He told me on what basis he hires his cooks: “I look for passion.” What’s more important than culinary school training, Chef Cardoz explained, is that his staff love what they are doing. (Upon further probing, I learned that among the culinary school graduates in the kitchen, most were from the Culinary Institute of America.)

  

Chef Floyd Cardoz  photo:Continentalrestaurantweek.com


The kitchen itself was immaculate and supremely well organized. There were three separate walk-in refrigerators: one for produce (mostly Greenmarket finds), one for meats (I saw a farm-raised pig hanging upside down), and one for fish.  There was the garde manger (cold appetizer station), the dessert station, the prep station in the back, and the pristine table with heat lamps where finished dishes sat for a few seconds before servers swept them away.  It was an honor to meet Chef Cardoz and poke around his kitchen, and I was shocked to discover that he had spent some time perusing our website as well. “I really like that cooking show you have, the one with the guy and the guitar,” he told me. “It’s very good.”  Another point for Frankie’s ego! 


Sam


When I emerged from the kitchen, around 11:40, everyone was getting ready for service: waiters were rubbing away smudges on wine glasses, the kitchen was organized and patiently awaiting food orders, and Terry excused himself to put on his tie.  As for me, I walked around and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.


By 12:30 the restaurant was highly fragrant with the smell of melted butter followed by a robust, smoky wave of Indian flavors. Though we had just finished family meal, I could feel my stomach churning with food-lust.  Around 1 pm, Terry and I moved upstairs where the dining room was roughly half-full.  Like a referee, Terry stood on the side and looked around the room for any hint of error or foul play.  When he noticed that a table was low on their iced-teas he sent over a server immediately. In between courses at a large party, Terry swooped in to help clear the table. And he was constantly checks in with his staff: “Can I do something for you?”  


While the dining room was freezing cold--I was cursing myself for not bringing a cardigan-- the kitchen was much warmer.  Terry and I stepped inside around 1:40 to check the status of a table’s desserts. I liked being inside the kitchen. I heard quiet shouts of “Yes, Chef,” and “Coming up, Chef.”  The energy was high and the vibe was exciting. Quick moving sous chefs with headbands and flushed cheeks chopped, seared, and baked a variety of aromatic dishes.  I watched the cooks as they artfully plated the food, one component at a time. When the plate was complete, they stared at the setup for a hard second-- like you would look at yourself in the mirror--before sending it on its way.  There was clearly a personal element to this process; the food needn’t only be excellent for the sake of the restaurant, but for the personal integrity of the cooks on the line.    


Lunch service at Tabla ends at 2.  By the time all of the guests had exited it was nearly 2:30 and I was starving. Watching waiters deliver steaming plates of braised short ribs and shoestring potatoes for the past two and half hours was excruciating.  Luckily, I had a delicious lunch in store for me. Terry insisted that I sample a lamb Frankie from Tabla’s outdoor cart. The $8 Frankies, a kind of Indian burrito, are made with egg-washed rotis, mint chutney, fresh cilantro, and tender strips of lamb. It was a flavorful mess—I needed a bunch of napkins and a fork—but I consumed every last bite. For those of you who can’t afford to dine in either Bread Bar or Tabla, the Frankies are an easy way to get a feel for Chef Cardoz’s soulful food. 


Bread Bar Cart: Get your Frankies here


In the break between lunch and dinner, I hung around the bar, writing notes and drinking homemade mango margaritas that bartender Eric insisted I try. “It’s barely alcoholic!” he said. (Lie.) Since Tabla opens for dinner at 5:30, family meal occurs around 5pm.  I skipped this meal—I was still stuffed from the Frankie—and hung out in the kitchen. I wanted to get some good pictures of the food before I left Tabla.  I watched Sam, a graduate of CIA, as he worked the garde manger and told me how Chef Cardoz was “robbed” on Iron Chef when he competed against Bobby Flay.  At 6:30 I bumped into Laura, the waitress from lunch, who gaped at me, “You’re still here!”  I smiled happily and said, “This is fun!”  She looked at me dubiously for a few moments before nodding in agreement.  


After I took some photos of the dinner entrees—and Chef approved of my photography-- I was ready to leave Tabla. Peeking around a professional kitchen was a fantastic alternative to watching the Food Network, but what was most memorable about my Tabla experience were the people (with the lamb Frankie as a close second). The Tabla staff are not only good at what they do, but nice.  So nice, in fact, that I didn’t really want to leave.  Luckily, Terry provided me with a tasty incentive to return: a plate of the famed Rice Flaked Halibut.  

 

 

 

 

Tabla's Crab Cake


Kichidi

 

Creamed Spinach Samosa

Onion Rings

 

Roasted Morels


 


 


 


Posted in FOOD on July 17, 2009 9:52am by Jena Steinbach | 9 comments



Comments

gm2:32pm | July 17, 2009

when r we going? everything looks delicious. what a fabulous review. read every word.

FERN10:31pm | July 17, 2009

WOW!!! YES!!! So well written I felt as if I was having the experience myself.

Jesse9:51am | July 22, 2009

this is really a great review! so well written, and truly made my hungry for these indian inspired dishes! jena, take me here.

Caowen5:20pm | October 16, 2009

It is the coolest site, keep so!

Flossy1:41am | June 21, 2011

Walking in the persnece of giants here. Cool thinking all around!

Deandra4:19am | June 21, 2011

HHIS I should have touhght of that!

Rochi6:19am | June 22, 2011

Okay I'm covnicned. Let's put it to action.

Adobe OEM Software5:07pm | March 7, 2012

F3RFMW I loved your blog article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.

oem software4:31pm | April 26, 2012

A9WQRM Hey, thanks for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.


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