196 replies to this topic

[mongo_jones]

you don't get free naan anywhere in india either--high or low end.

[Lex]

Stone is one of those "bloggers." He expects free stuff.

[yvonne johnson]

And Hemant is one of the most generous chefs around. Stone, please stop it.

[Stone]

Well, color me purple.
I'm not saying he's not generous. I just $5 for plain rice or naan to be excessive.

[rozrapp]

$10 for a trio of rice, which I'm guessing are the three thimble-fulls they served at Devi?

Definitely not thimbles-full!

We had a superb dinner at Tulsi last Friday. Hemant knows us from Devi. He greeted us and popped by our table every so often to see how things were going. For a less than two-week-old restaurant, service was smooth and professional. Yes, prices are high. But portions are extremely generous. We took home two lamb chops, two boar chops, some rice, and one slice of kulcha.

When we arrived at 6:30, there were only a couple of tables occupied. By the time we left around 8:30, the place was full. As others have said, the decor is beautiful.

Photo set here.

(Note: Though we didn't order the Manchurian cauliflower or the raita, Hemant sent them out.)

[Sneakeater]

Should I be embarrassed that I finished my boar chops?

[hcbk0702]

Even cheap, bad Indian restaurants often charge $3+ for naan.

[changeup]

Yeah, I've never seen true Naan for less than $3 (pita style naan, sure). $5 doesn't seem THAT excessive to me given this restaurants level on the dining scale. Tabla charged $4 for bread, so maybe $5 is a bit much - but Tabla's final incarnation was also more casual than Tulsi.

Rice is a more contentious thing historically - some places force you to buy it separately, some include it only with entrees, some technically list it separately on the side but if they know you they just bring it anyways... At Tabla it was $3 for plain rice.

[changeup]

Should I be embarrassed that I finished my boar chops?

After looking at that photo, I can assure you I will try to the death if that's what it takes, so my personal vote is no.

[yvonne johnson]

Yeah, I've never seen true Naan for less than $3 (pita style naan, sure). $5 doesn't seem THAT excessive to me given this restaurants level on the dining scale. Tabla charged $4 for bread, so maybe $5 is a bit much - but Tabla's final incarnation was also more casual than Tulsi.

Rice is a more contentious thing historically - some places force you to buy it separately, some include it only with entrees, some technically list it separately on the side but if they know you they just bring it anyways... At Tabla it was $3 for plain rice.

From the menus on Tulsi website, it looks like several of the dishes come with rice included.

[ghostrider]

Most Indian places I've been, high or low end, give you a free basket of papadum with 2 or 3 dipping sauces, & that's it. I've never seen free naan, even in Jersey.

Charging for plain rice to accompany a sauced entree annoys me, smacks of gouging. But it's the price of admission to many of the better places, Jersey or NYC, so I just grit my teeth & roll with it.

[TaliesinNYC]

I haven't eaten a lot of Indian lately, and when I do, it's usually a buffet. Yes, I know they charge for naan, but my recollection is that it's usually $1.95. Perhaps $5 is now standard. But they're also not charging $25 for entrees.

Seriously, I don't eat at high-end places as often as most people do and, yes, I'm cheap. Do any charge for bread?

Chennai in the UES charges $3 for rice. When you order an entree, that doesn't include rice or bread. $5 seems reasonable.

[StephanieL]

Most Indian places I've been, high or low end, give you a free basket of papadum with 2 or 3 dipping sauces, & that's it.

They don't in England, as I found out to my chagrin.

[Stone]

So, basically, the Indians are cheap bastards. Another reason to prefer Chinese food.

[g.johnson]

So, basically, the Indians are cheap bastards. Another reason to prefer Chinese food.