Lenten Challenge

[chefmichael01]

A good friend of mine is coming in town this weekend and we are looking for a place to go on dinner on Friday. Here's the catch: We're both Catholic and obviously not eating meat on Fridays so this presents a problem. If it helps, the restaurants we additionally wanted to go to were Breslin for the sucking pig dinner or K-Town/Momofuku for Korean fried chicken, until I remembered lent.

We're both from Texas and therefore love meat and bacon and are looking for a non-sushi, non-normal-vegetarian Indian food idea for dinner.

Thanks a bunch.

[stephaniec25]

Go to Scarpetta for the Spaghetti with Tomato sauce

[ManhattanLawyer]

I'm a bit confused as to whether you are requesting a vegetarian Indian restaurant or saying you don't want a vegetarian Indian restaurant.

Assuming the latter, you could go to almost any Turkish or Greek restaurant and gorge on all the delicious mezze, which is actually just what I did last Friday. Turkish Kitchen or Sahara are both good in the East 20s/30s, and Beyoglu on the UES is excellent.

There are also dozens of possible Italian restaurants that would fit the bill.

If you are looking for vegetarian Indian, could you also just go to any Indian restaurant and order the meatless dishes? Some of my favorites are Bricklane Curry House, Tamarind, Indus Valley, Tiffin Wallah (which I think might be fully vegetarian), and devi.

[phoenikia]

Molyvos on 7th Ave is currently serving some Greek Lenten dishes each day until Easter. Greek Easter and Catholic/Protestant Easter are the same Sunday this year.

Here is a sample menu of some of the dishes they might be serving:
http://www.livanosrestaurantgroup.com...

I would thinks some of the other Greek restaurants (such as Pylos, Kefi, Snack, Kellari, Ethos,)might have some other Greek Lenten specials available, in addition to their usual fish and vegetarian options.

Another Lenten option might be the borscht, and veggie cabbage rolls at Veselka ;-)

[gutsofsteel]

Are you asking for a recommendation for an Indian restaurant with some non-meat options that is not a vegetarian restaurant?

[chefmichael01]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I know plenty of vegetarian Indian restaurants so I was not looking for any recommendations on those. I am looking for something more off the beaten path as well.

[gutsofsteel]

So you'd like Indian food, but not a vegetarian Indian restaurant? Have you been to Devi, Tabla, Dhaba?

I guess you could also just go to any restaurant and just simply not order meat...

[JungMann]

If you want off the beaten path, I've seen Lenten menus at the better Mexican restaurants in Spanish Harlem. Cafe Ollin in particular has shrimp tortitas that I'd like to try. Being from Texas, however, you might've had your fill of Mexican. I'd give some thought to Ethiopian food in that case.

[ttoommyy]

Someplace like Otto that has myriad vegetable and seafood antipasti and meatless pasta and pizza selections is perfect for Firdays during Lent.

[iluvcookies]

Why not go to Chinatown for seafood? Plenty of good recs if you search the board.