When we want a fun tasting menu that doesn’t completely break the budget, we go to Indienne. There, in the muted roses and teals of the beautiful dining room, chef-owner Sujan Sarkar (pictured, below) and culinary director Sahil Sethi explore Indian cuisine through a fine-dining lens. The bites that begin every meal set the tone: A blackberry-tamarind pani puri bursts in your mouth, a truffled mushroom eclair makes for a dreamy canapé. From there, the big flavors keep coming in a scallop pan-seared in spicy, tangy butter with the double pop of caviar and finger lime or the bowl of black dal with garlic naan to scoop it up. Don’t miss the wine pairings, since the selections from sommelier Tia Polite make the flavors shine. And a bonus for meat-avoiders — this is the rare place where the vegetarian menu is even better than the omnivorous one.

Photograph: Jeff Marini
Photograph: Jeff Marini
Photograph: Jeff Marini