Restaurant Review: IndoMunch

Chinese Indian Fusion-Confusion Reigns
O.K., I am a sucker for any new cuisine. Tell me about a restaurant that features a cooking from a country, that I never heard about and I am there.
According to Indomunch “Indian Chinese Cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is widespread in certain localities in India, and is also enjoyed by people in Malaysia, Singapore and North America.”
I was hooked!!!
IndoMunch is a very pleasant looking small and clean restaurant at 182 Lexington Avenue, near 32 Street, NY, NY.
The food was fresh and the portions adequate, but what was missing is taste. I expected the “Prawn Munch Special”, to beshrimp cooked in a Chinese style with curry, to have a curry taste, but I was sadly disappointed. There was no heat and very little curry. The “Lamb in String Bean” was cooked with a black bean sauce and there were black beans in the dish, but none of saltiness and distinctive flavor of black beans. You could get a side dish of rice (basmati) or hakka noodles, a nice touch.
Chinese and Indian cuisines are known for their great unique tastes, but this restaurant could not make up its mind and got confusion, not fusion. In general, the preparation was not amateurish, the ambiance pretty, the service o.k. but the food had no soul.
The cost for two complete meals, about $70 with an automatic 20% tip.

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Restaurant Review: Lupa-The she wolf gets it right

Lupa-The She Wolf gets it right

We are just back from Rome and have essentially ate our way across the city, so going to an Italian restaurant in New York is definitely taking our chances. BTW, there is no bad pasta in Rome, but there is terrible Pizza.
Lupa, the she wolf, symbol of Rome, is wonderful bistro that gets it right. The waiters are extremely knowledgeable, (do you know the difference between Borsci and Lucano digestifs) and are actually helpful, rare in New York.
Appetizers are served in soup bowls and are tasty and distinctive. I liked the Winter Squash alla Romana. Pastas are bountiful and have interesting twists; the Bavette Cacio has a bread crumb topping. The major compliant is that the selection is small. The main courses fish or meat are seasoned just so. Sorry, Vegans need not apply. While the wine list is not cheap the variety is amazing and half carafes are available. Desserts are definitely Italian style and even the Tartufo, an ice cream bombe, has a certain savior faire.
Italians entertain at restaurants not usually at home and Lupa always has several large groups going at one time. Rather than assign a single waiter to a large table teams of waiters work together and that way everyone gets served together.
Warning the front room is noisy and reservations are not only a must, but weekend reservations are hard to get. Dinner for two with an inexpensive wine comes to about $140.