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RESTAURANTS

RESTAURANTS; American Food, Indian Spices

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February 24, 1999, Section F, Page 8Buy Reprints
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REALLY good restaurants are love or hate propositions.

Tabla is no exception. For me, it was love at first bite. When I tasted seared foie gras with a pear, black pepper and anise compote, I swooned. Foie gras is always magical, but I was experiencing something new, as spice and sweetness went somersaulting through my mouth. Chills went down my back as I tried port-glazed sweetbreads, little morsels teased by the cool juiciness of pomegranate seeds and the crunch of lacy lotus roots. Each bite of spiced Maine crab cakes, wrapped in papadums, topped with avocado and glazed with tamarind, was a wonderful surprise. Yes, I thought. This is what I have been waiting for.

Nothing I have tasted since has changed my mind.

Tabla is the newest restaurant in Danny Meyer's growing empire, a sassy sibling of the rather staid Eleven Madison Park next door. The restaurant vibrates with sound and sizzles with color. Mosaics hug the walls, creating a jazzy urgency, a rhythm to the room.

At the bar downstairs, people lean into conversations as they watch cooks grilling roti and naan in crazy flavors -- horseradish, buckwheat-honey, pumpernickel-caper. When they are ready for dinner they climb a wide staircase made of padauk, a gorgeous red wood that seems to glow from within. The dining room at the top is darkly sensuous, with walls stained in shades of jade and coral. Graceful servers stroll through the room; watching them, you feel you have entered some exotic realm on the far side of the world.

Then, the food begins to arrive and you know it is true. The chef, Floyd Cardoz, was executive sous-chef under Gray Kunz at Lespinasse: savvy diners will instantly sense the connection. Mr. Cardoz is working with a palette similar to that employed by Mr. Kunz, but here it is not tempered by the cream and butter of the French kitchen. This is American food, viewed through a kaleidoscope of Indian spices. The flavors are so powerful, original and unexpected that they evoke intense emotions. Those who do not like Tabla tend to dislike it with a passion.

I know this because each time I dine at the restaurant I encounter at least one person who despises the food. It always takes me by surprise. I sit there, thrilled by the taste of mustard fettuccine tossed with veal; I love the way the crusty chunks of meat are soft as custard when you bite into them. Savoring this mixture of spinach, spice, tomato and flour, I suddenly look up and find my guest staring with disbelief, at a bowl of wild mushroom soup. ''It's horrible,'' he says. I take a bite; it is electric with the taste of tamarind. The power of the ginger in the liquid takes my breath away. ''It's fabulous,'' I cry, ''you're insane.'' He pushes the bowl in my direction.

Another night, another friend. I am so taken with the black bass topped with flaked rice and served with pea greens that I find myself taking bite after bite, quietly enjoying the play of flavors and textures in my mouth. When I come out of my reverie, I notice she has taken a single bite of her poussin and pushed the plate away.

''May I?'' I ask politely, picking up a forkful. The flavors explode in my mouth; the bird has been dusted with powerful black spices. I taste pepper, I taste cinnamon; I am happy. I take a second bite and then tackle the brussels sprouts on the side, which are mixed with bacon. It is not, I soon see, worth arguing about.

And so I have learned to ignore the people who do not like Tabla and to abandon myself to the joys of veal loin, which is served with diced sweetbreads, gingered greens and a marrow bone. I can get lost in the taste of spiced oxtails on a bed of tapioca and roasted beets. The braised red onion stuffed with eggplant is an extraordinarily fine vegetarian dish, one of the few that do not make you feel there is something missing where the meat should be.

Desserts are also impressively offbeat: I can't resist the warm chocolate date cake or the vanilla-bean kulfi, an ice cream with character. In fact, the only dish that does not transport me is steak with coriander and mustard. It is, after all, just a steak.

Other quibbles? The restaurant is uncomfortably noisy. The stemless wine glasses don't show the interesting wines off to good advantage. The sorbet flavors seem to strive for eccentricity, but is there anyone on earth who really wants to eat grapefruit-mustard sorbet?

But my main complaint is this: Tabla already has so many fans that reservations are hard to obtain. And I am really tired of eating dinner at 10.

Tabla

*** [rating: three stars]

11 Madison Avenue, at 25th Street; (212) 889-0667

ATMOSPHERE: Danny Meyer's most sensuous restaurant, it is vibrant with color, pulsing with energy.

SERVICE: The staff, incredibly, seems to know everything about the fascinating food.

SOUND LEVEL: Unfortunately noisy.

RECOMMENDED DISHES: Seared foie gras with black pepper, anise and pear compote; Goan-spiced crab cake; spice and port-glazed sweetbreads; mustard fettuccine with braised veal; Tabla salad; rice-flaked black bass; black spice-roasted poussin; spice-braised oxtail; veal loin with gingered greens; eggplant-stuffed braised red onion; vanilla-bean kulfi; warm chocolate date cake with espresso yogurt; cranberry walnut tart.

WINE LIST: Beautifully chosen for the menu.

PRICE RANGE: Three-course prix-fixe dinner, $48 (plus a few supplements); lunch appetizers, $8 to $18; main courses, $17 to $23; desserts, $8.

HOURS: Lunch, Monday to Friday, noon to 2 P.M.; dinner, Monday to Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30 P.M. (until 11 Friday and Saturday). Closed Sunday.

CREDIT CARDS: All major cards.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY: Bar and rest rooms at street level; main dining room up a long flight of stairs.

What the stars mean:

(None) Poor to Satisfactory

* Good

** Very Good

*** Excellent

**** Extraordinary

Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction primarily to food, with ambiance and service taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

Hundreds of past reviews available from The New York Times on America Online. Information and Software: (800) 548-5201.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section F, Page 8 of the National edition with the headline: RESTAURANTS; American Food, Indian Spices. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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