I have been a Thali fan for a long time, having reviewed the New Canaan and Ridgefield Thalis in years past and having encouraged owner Prasad Chirnomula to open a restaurant in New Haven. (I and so many others.) And now, thanks to more casual Thali Too on Broadway, we actually have two.
I’m sure every town of any sophistication would like to have a Thali. Westport just happens to be the latest lucky hamlet, Prasad having taken over the space formerly occupied by Taipan, renovating and reopening in record time. But nobody in the Elm City need travel further than the corner of George & Orange Streets,
now blissfully free of the towering hulk of concrete and rusty metal that was once the New Haven Coliseum. And it’s worth remembering that the little parking lot across Orange Street is free for Thali customers.
When my wife and I enter Thali on this Sunday evening, we are greeted by lovely hostess Carrol,
a scientist by day. I wander around the restaurant taking photos, as is my wont. Thali is a large and handsomely decorated dining establishment, with spaces suited to many different purposes. In a corner of the restaurant there’s an attractive lounge area.
The handsome bar area, mobbed in visits past, proves quiet on this Sunday night. It’s Restaurant Week, and people are focused on food, not drink.
Diners are concentrated in the main dining room
and the window seating.
I explore two enclosed rooms perfectly suited to private parties, wine dinners and the like.
I should know—I’ve attended a couple here in the past. As I circulate, I take in details like these copper serving pots
and a 2006 New York Times review posted by the entrance.
I remember when Thali achieved this rare “excellent” from the Times. How the mighty have fallen (however self-inflicted), with “don’t miss it,” “worth it,” “O.K.,” and “don’t bother” ratings that are classless, difficult to apply, and have already been slightly modified since they were implemented. I can’t help wondering how long before the Times swallows its pride and admits it made a ghastly mistake. But I digress…
When I return to my table, my wife, a Thali fan from way back, is waiting patiently for me.
Our waiter, Mohammed,
brings us two types of pappadam
and a tray containing tamarind sauce, mint sauce, and mango chutney.
We also have a basket of fresh cooked naan.
A nice dry 2000 Weingut Hirsch Zöbinger Gaisberg Riesling, Niederösterreich, Austria accompanies our first round of dishes.
We begin by requesting the Konkan crab, my favorite Indian dish ever, a soothing combination of jumbo lump crab meat, tempered ginger, mustard seeds, green chilies and fresh coconut. This spectacular dish, which Prasad has prepared for guests at the James Beard Foundation, is not included on the Restaurant Week menu, presumably due to the high cost of its premium ingredients. Otherwise, it would be a threat to win several of our awards.
Not to worry. Thali’s Restaurant Week lineup proves to be quite exceptional. We try four of the five appetizers, missing only the vegetable samosas. Making my Asian wife feel right at home, spiced fillet of sole is served wrapped in a banana leaf.
Wrapping food in banana leaves not only results in a nice presentation but tends to seal in juices and impart the aromatic flavor of the leaves. Ann used to trade items from her school lunch for friends’ rice steamed in a banana leaf.
Served with dabs of cilantro lemon sauce, galouti ground lamb kebabs almost melt in our mouths, which turns out to be what “galouti” means.
Jaipore chicken tikka kebabs infused with cayenne and served with a hot cilantro and green chili chutney are incredibly succulent.
And although it probably has little or nothing to do with the nation of India, an arugula salad with sweet red beets and roasted pistachio nuts in a raspberry-infused Modena balsamic vinaigrette makes for a beautiful combination.
In my eyes, the charismatic Chirnomula
is a culinary genius, and probably America’s top ambassador for Indian cuisine. There are plenty of food writers who agree with me. Chirnomula’s food, which tends to be fresher, lighter and more imaginative than that of most other Indian (or non-Indian, for that matter) chefs, always compels a reaction in the diner. “Food has to travel in your mouth,” Chirnomula is fond of saying.
Chirnomula may be faithful to the Indian paradigm, but he is as interested in his homeland’s street foods as he is in its haute cuisine. And of course, sprawling India’s cuisines are highly regionalized, providing vast opportunities for culinary enrichment. But Chirnomula is also unafraid of taking advantage of local non-Indian ingredients.
We accompany our main dishes with a gorgeous red, a 2005 Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac, Rhône, France
that Mohammed decants for us.
And it certainly helps that Thali uses good goblets that allow its great wines to shine.
We try three of Thali’s Restaurant Week entrées, all of which are excellent. (Just ask the Times.) Tender pink slices of black pepper-crusted duck in a Cabernet masala sauce are served with garlic spinach.
Hand-rubbed with Himalayan pink salt, cayenne pepper and toasted coriander, pan-seared wild Alaskan sockeye salmon is beautifully moist and underdone, as today’s tastes call for, and served over vibrant julienne vegetables.
But the dish that makes my Asian wife positively swoon
is tandoor-grilled Philippine tiger prawns.
Few people alive know prawns like my wife, who grew up on her family’s Mindanao prawn farm. But I digest…
We have finally reached our dessert course, which we enjoy with a magnificent botrytised 2001 Höpler Riesling, Trockenbeerenauslese, Austria.
Both desserts offered are terrific (not to mention, orange). One is a carrot halwa,
the other a mango cheesecake.
When a group of diners asks Mohammed to take their picture, I can’t resist taking a picture of him doing it.
I probably should have looked behind me to see if anyone was taking a picture of me taking a picture of Mohammed taking a picture of the group.
The point is, I pay close attention to other people’s experiences. I’m often known at the restaurants I blog about, and I certainly am at Thali. What I see during this restaurant visit is people taking a tremendous amount of pleasure from their dining experience.
New Haven has an exceptional roster of restaurants for a city of its size. It’s to the enduring credit of the Restaurant Week organizers that they regularly persuade the Elm City’s best establishments to participate. Thali is truly one of New Haven’s elite restaurants.
Thali, 4 Orange Street, New Haven, 203-777-1177