Rich palette
Passerine (Flatiron)
RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Chetan Shetty’s food has long defined what modern Indian cuisine looks like on a global stage: nuanced, playful, unafraid to flirt with ingredients like shiso and truffle. Opened in November, Passerine is Shetty’s latest project with his wife/beverage director April Busch, and it’s quickly becoming New York’s latest Indian restaurant darling.
The Vibe: On East 20th St. just off Park, Passerine draws inspiration from the Union Square Greenmarket and Shetty’s mother, who pounds the spices that flavor the local produce and proteins. If the rich, vibrant flavor of those seasonings could be distilled into a color palette, it would be Passerine’s, jewel-toned in rich greens and browns. Inside its doors, a small plush lounge enveloped in bold botanical wallpaper is anchored by two low-slung L-shaped sofas that connect to a buzzy 13-seat bar. Beyond sits the 64-seat dining room, brimming with energy. The restaurant feels warm, employees look genuinely happy, and at 6p on a recent Wednesday, the place was packed.
The Food: Few Indian restaurants in New York offer a tasting menu, but Shetty’s modern, produce-driven approach fits the form. A seven-course option ($135 per) kicks off with a delicate, Kaluga-caviar-capped raw tuna tartlette imbued with chilis, sundried garlic, and onion, plus clove, pickled ginger, and avocado. Later dishes include a rich, 14-hour-braised short rib over an airy corn espuma, enhanced with a cardamom-accented toasty pasilla chili sauce and a roasted corn salsa.
Guests who order à la carte begin their meal with a delicate, flower-shaped murukku rice cracker, its crisp latticework cradling a silky avocado purée laced with cilantro, ginger, chili, and lime, adorned with applewood smoke-imbued trout roe and a few tangy drops of sour tamarind and hibiscus. Starters include a mini, fluffy fermented rice pancake uttapam shaped into a taco, filled with a soft cheesy potato mash that’s flavored with turmeric, curry leaf, and Comté (a Kaluga caviar supplement is extra).
There’s also Shetty’s chicken kofta, a green cardamom-enhanced chicken dumpling flavored with chilies and fragrant Burgundy black truffles, topped with pilsner beer-pickled yellow oyster mushrooms and finished with a generous blanket of more black truffle.
The Drink: Bar director Mario Castro's spice-backed cocktail program is enchanting. Consider the Green Magpie, which blends flavors of cilantro, green cardamom, and lime with rum, or the Calvados- and Madeira-fortified Pied Triller, which incorporates apple and spiced maple syrup.
The Verdict: One of the city’s most vibrant and thoughtful interpretations of Indian cuisine, grounded in local produce, a splash of luxury, and a confident hand with spice. –Kat Odell
→ Passerine (Flatiron) • 36 E 20th St • Tue-Wed & Sun 5-10p, Thu-Sat 5-1030p • Reserve.