Description
Though we're lucky to have plenty of hole-in-the-wall cabbie joints serving Punjabi snacks and fast food, Manhattan generally lacks thoughtful, home-style Punjabi food, a gap that Bhatti fills. Skip the curries, which are totally ordinary, and choose the kabobs, which are not. The bhatti grill is not a piece of equipment, but an ultra-simple, ancient cooking method: an open fire, fueled with wood or charcoal--or, in this case, gas--over which kabobs and flatbreads are sizzled. To start, don't miss the pickled, grilled paneer. The squares of cheese look like slabs of campfire marshmallows, bright white with puffy, golden edges, and a tart, pickled bite that balances the paneer's mild, milky flavor. Anything with lamb dazzles: lamb chops offer crisp, fatty-edged meat and a good gnaw on the bone, while the gilauti kebab is composed of small, pale pucks of meat that go all silken in your mouth, like a marvelous, spiced pâté.
