A dozen women, mainly members of the New York Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, enjoyed an exceptional meal at Tagmo, where fellow-Dame Surbhi Sahni created a special menu created for us. Her South Street Seaport restaurant honors India’s regional food, “all made fresh, cooked slow and vegetable-forward with harmoniously balanced flavors.” Surbi brought out dishes that she mentioned are rarely eaten outside India’s home kitchens and food stalls. 

In Bhutanese, Tagmo means tigress, the symbol of female strength across South Asia.

Do not miss either her Khatta Meetha Chaat, a Delhi street salad with chickpeas, jicama, mangoes and cucumbers tossed in a Devil’s chutney and topped with tiny potato crisps or the Dahi Bhalla, fried lentil dumpling soaked in yogurt with both tamarind and cilantro chutney topped with aloo bhujia (a crispy snack made from chickpea flour and potatoes.


Next, we enjoyed their Eral Chukka, the ghee-roasted chili-spiced (4) prawns with tamarind and yogurt on uttapam, a type of dosa from South India and the slow-cooked goat with cracked wheat and lentils, a 14-hour process. We spread the flavorful mixture on the toast to enjoy.

Next came the classic Saag Paneer, the slow-cooked spinach with fenugreek leaves and homemade Indian cheese, plus Haryali boneless chicken thighs stewed in a cilantro-yogurt sauce, crimini mushroom and onions (Kalan Kuzhambu), rice and Malabar Paratha, an Indian flatbread brushed with ghee.

We ended with a Mithai flight, a 6-piece tasting of the housemade Indian sweets for which Chef Surbhi is famous.

Tagmo
South Street Seaport
226 Front Street
NY, NY 10038
tagmonyc.com/