I had a Groupon voucher for dinner for two at this simple but tasteful restaurant, which was just recently renovated. Being super-hungry, I decided to eat by myself. I arrived at 5 pm, just when they were opening for dinner, so the service was a little slow (at first only), as they were clearly still in the process of setting up. Still, the waitress was friendly, helpful, and generally prompt.
Overall, the food, which should, in my opinion, be the prime factor in determining one's rating of a restaurant (don't you find annoying those people who badmouth a restaurant on the basis of petty little gripes that have nothing to do with the food?), was truly masterful. Most of the dishes were prepared with a subtlety and creativity that had me grinning with pleasure. It may be, for me, the best Indian restaurant in NYC, and I have eaten at many--I've also eaten Indian food at restaurants throughout the US, and in Canada and London, and I would be hard put to recall a more delicious Indian meal.
I was first brought a tray of tasty (but not particularly distinctive) papadam, and hungrily devoured the whole thing, immediately after which the manager, Sanjay, kindly provided me with another trayful for free.
The next course that was served as part of the Groupon dinner deal was an appetizer, Shrimp Balchao, a wonderfully flavorful masterpiece of shrimp sauteed with curry leaf mustard seed on an amazing toasted bread. It proved to be a most delicious dish--Indian-style pizza? And it was a welcome change from many restaurants that will not allow you to order seafood dishes as part of a Groupon dinner because they are too "expensive."
With the Groupon dinner, Dakshin provided the usual free condiments but also included Raita--something you always have to pay extra for. The raita was subtle and tangy, with a perfect balance of sweetness and creaminess. My choice of bread was poori, which was good but frankly not particularly special.
I was also given a choice of pulao or lemon rice, and I chose the latter, which I had never tasted. It was an amazing, very welcome, addition.
I chose two vegetable dishes for my choice of two entrees--mushroom broccoli jalfrezi and vegetable saag malai. The jalfrezi dish was excellent but the saag mal was truly a revelation, and, thankfully, neither had the overly thick sauce one frequently encounters at lesser restaurants. They were delicate and bursting with fresh flavor; the saag malai was enhanced by delectable flecks of fresh ginger. Wow!
For the Groupon dinner dessert, Dakshin did not serve the typical and rather pedestrian rice pudding or gulab jaman (cheese balls in a sweet syrup) but rather something much more delicious--and my favorite, kulfi (the Indian ice cream; the flavor they served was mango). This was homemade and delicious, with a wonderful touch of a tasty sauce along the edges of the plate. read more