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Ask any Indian where to get the best Indian food in town, and they'll say in their kitchen, when their mom comes to visit. Surya, which refers to the sun god in Hindu mythology, may change all that. On the otherwise spare walls is a gold-trimmed mirror of a sun with solar flares emanating from it—to suggest that just as the god brings good fortune and healing, so does the food at this deity's namesake restaurant. Chef Lala Sharma cooks both northern Mughlai cuisine (from Delhi and Punjab), and southern seafood and fiery dishes from the southwest coast. The earthy, pungent spices that excite ingredients in the north are used judiciously. South Indian kickers include tangy, gunpowder-strength vindaloos from Chennai and Goa—and tons of seafood. The Everest of vegetables here is the okra, sautéed with tomatoes, onions, and the skin of kokum, a sweet-and-sour Indian fruit. Okra is famously difficult to conquer, but here it's tender, evenly cooked, and never gooey. Also excellent is the signature dish, baby lamb chops; it's rosy and tender inside, and charred to a crisp outside. Surya's cool, recessed-lighting digs attract a democratic mix of pre-partiers and unpretentious sorts pleased to be eating on comfortable banquettes. Weekend nights can get noisy, so consider eating on the back patio, with ivy cascading down the walls. — Diane Mehta

The corkage fee is $20.

Spiced okra, $12; lamb chops, $24

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Peter Kaminsky's Full Review (10/12/98)