The Triangle

Issue date: 1/30/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Michael Arrison

We all know the "Gayborhood" is the chicest part of town, where the city's best boutiques and stylish independent restaurants line the sidewalks, and Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran's stretch of 13th Street is no exception.

These posh proprietors own the modern Mexican BYOT (tequila), Lolita; the gourmet market, Grocery; home store, Open House; and in December 2007, opened their most recent addition, Bindi, a modern Indian BYOB. In keeping with the vibe of their other ventures, Bindi is a small, trendy establishment with high-quality fare and simple, yet elegant design.

As with Lolita, Bindi's BYO policy is open to interpretation. What guests are suggested to bring are their own bottles of vodka or rum to add to Bindi's house-made fruit cocktail mixers sold by the pitcher for $12. Being a tequila fan, I brought a bottle of El Mayor Blanco and found that it made a fantastic combination with the mango sharbat, a mango puree, lime and green cardamom mix. Less popular at the table was the nimbu-pani, a pomegranate-ginger lemonade. For those not as adventurous, beer, wine and champagne can also be brought to the restaurant. And if you forget (and your reservation is before 9 p.m.), a Wine & Spirits store is located right around the corner on Chestnut between 12th and 13th streets.

With full cocktails, attention was turned to the dinner menu which is organized in standard fashion with appetizers ($7-10), entrees ($18-24), sides ($5-8) and roties, which are house-made flatbreads with dip for $4 each. Even with a full house, my table's food started arriving only a short time after placing our orders, and we were immediately blown away by the roasted cauliflower shorva, a cream-based soup made with caramelized leeks and garam masala, a traditional Indian spice mix. An apple-starburst radish salad added texture and a truffle oil garnish lended the perfectly spiced soup a deliciously earthy flavor.

Almost equally impressive was the warm, house-made chenna (cow's milk cheese) with tomato and fava puree, fried egg, trumpet mushrooms and truffle oil. It was served with petit paratha flatbread to smother in what we dubbed "Indian fundido." The grilled, curried octopus was tasty, but was over-shadowed by the richness and intense flavor of the other appetizers. Indian "street-style" beet salad with mangos was easily forgettable.

For entrees, I ordered the prawn and pumpkin curry, because I am never able to resist a menu item with pumpkin anything. This one did not disappoint. The dish was served deconstructed with the shrimp and the spiced pumpkin and coconut milk curry sauce in one bowl, accompanied by a side of lime rice in another. The red wine-jaggery braised boneless beef short rib with roasted potato masala, spiced carrot salad and onion pickle was so tender that a knife was not necessary.

We also ordered one of the roti, a sweet goat cheese and coconut-date-pecan stuffed paratha with local honey sweetened yogurt, which could have easily been dessert. However, we unnecessarily ordered dessert as well and had a panna cotta with strawberry confit. The custard was delicious but the strawberry salad had an oatmeal-like unidentified grain that was less than desirable. Throughout the meal, service was attentive and pleasant.

Bindi, located at 105 S. 13th St., is cash only and open for dinner Sunday through Saturday. Reservations are accepted Sunday to Thursday as well as for selected special events and can be made by calling 215.922.6061 or visiting www.bindibyob.com.

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