Eating Out: Tabla

For a birthday surprise, Jon decided we should go to one of the few high-end restaurants in New York that I hadn't been to -- and wanted to eat at. So we were off to Tabla, for a tasting menu full of Floyd Cardoz' innovative Indian twists on American flavors, which showcased his commitment to locally sourced ingredients.

The soft-shell crab won me over to a sea creature I'd previously thought I could live without. The fricassee of ramps and morels was the perfect evocation of the season, with a rich cloud of quail egg to top it off. The halibut swam in a pool of jalapeno-inflected watermelon, a perfect savory marriage. And the bread! We'll be dreaming of that garlic naan and corn roti for ages, dipping them into spiced tomato and green-apple-and-squash chutneys over and over again in our sleep.

We declined a wine pairing in favor of seasonal and seductive cocktails: the Thai Basil Bliss (tequila, fresh thai basil, pineapple, and sparkling wine), the Kumquat Mojito (light rum, fresh mint, kumquats, and lime), the Lots o'Passion (passionfruit purée with vodka and lime juice), and the Tamarind Margarita (tequila, cointreau, tamarind, fresh lime, and orange).