Whelp, that was fast. Less than half an hour after an e-mail went out this morning announcing that tables were available at Ruth Krishna’s Tandoori Steakhouse, David Chang’s pop-up with chef Akhtar Nawab was completely booked.
Ruth Krishna’s first made an appearance as one of “America’s Next Best Restaurants” in the “fantasy issue” of Chang’s Lucky Peach, which imagined it serving an “irreverent mash-up of northern Indian standbys and steakhouse favorites. (Think spice-rubbed twenty-one-day dry-aged ribeye cooked in a tandoor and creamed saag paneer.)” Now the fantasy is coming to life during a one-night-only dinner, on Sept. 17, in the former Spina space at 175 Avenue B. Among the menu items: Biryani Onion Rings and Aloo Bhaji Hashbrowns.
The $125-per-head fixed price might just seem worth it to those who recall Nawab’s Indian-infused Village restaurant Elettaria. But at this point you’d be better off waiting in line at Fuku. Then again, pop-ups do have a habit of becoming permanent fixtures around these parts.