Tabla

Tabla [11 Madison Ave. (at 25th St.) 212-889-0667]
Not your cab driver's Indian food, this high class fusion establishment will leave you wanting to come back for more. As with its sister restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, the setting is spectacularly designed and includes beautiful views of Madison Square Park. As for the food, dinner upstairs requires you to order from a Prix Fixe menu, but that still leaves you with plenty of mouth-watering options (although it will set you back a pretty penny). The Tabla Crab Cake is fantastic, with the avocado giving it a nice flavor and the papadum "bowl" making for a clever presentation. As for main courses, I found my Baby Pig to be extremely tasty and the Elysian Fields Lamb and Black Sea Bass were also delicious. No dish was an Indian standard, but each one certainly had Indian influence and flavoring. I highly recommend a visit, and for a more Indian (and cheaper) menu, check out the Tabla Bread Bar downstairs.