FOOD .
Bindi
105 S. 13th St.
215-922-6061
Indian/Pakistani, Gayborhood
Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran have a knack for combining sleek design, smart business skills and intriguing cookery that much is apparent in their previous endeavors (Grocery and Lolita) and now in their Indian BYO Bindi. The cocktail mixes make for fine drinking, particularly the nimbu-pani (lemonade with pomegranate and ginger) and mango sharbat, which features mango, lime and green cardamom both are great with a few glugs of vodka. The duck pani puri are crisp little cupfuls of shredded duck and sweet potato specked with ajwain seeds. A samosa stuffed with parsnip and paneer is a flaky beauty of a pastry. Among the most memorable dishes is something you would never see in India: short ribs. Its a luscious concoction, the beef braised to tangy, sweet disintegration, the sauce seeping into chunks of potato, with fine shreds of carrot kosambri salad adding cool crunch and slivers of pickled onions cutting the richness. But Bindi truly takes Indian flavors to new heights with dessert. Laced with shredded coconut, a moist cardamom cake soaked in rum and banana syrup is in and of itself remarkable; add on the cone-shaped pistachio kulfi and crumbled cocoa nib and it becomes a cross-cultural wonder. And the deep dark chocolate pot de crème a favorite at Turney and Safrans Lolita heads East here with aromatic spice and salted caramel shards that melt on the tongue. Open Tue.-Thu., Sun., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-11 p.m.; closed Mon.
- Average entree over $20
- Vegetarian options
- BYO
- Cash Only