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Subdued lighting, pale green and beige hues, and dark wood Jacobsen Ant chairs lend the minimalist space an understated lounge feel that permits the cuisine to take center stage. Unlike a good number of New York Indian restaurants which concentrate on specialties from the north of the country, Copper Chimney offers a pan-Indian menu: from the south, chicken chettinad, featuring tender boneless cubes of chicken cooked in coconut sauce; vegetarian choices from the west; plus northern favorites like tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala. Generously sized appetizers such as dahi aloo puri, cold potato and yogurt dumplings, and entrees like saag gosht, lamb in spinach sauce, employ fresh and pungent ingredients, like fragrant cilantro and pert tamarind. The breads are splendid—Kashmiri naan with nuts and raisins is especially tasty. In addition to the exemplary dining, an upstairs bar offers a first-rate original cocktail list. — Melissa Kirsch

Daily, noon—3 p.m.; $8.95

Dahi aloo puri, $5.95; chicken katti roll, $6.95; chicken malai kabab, $14