Indigo Indian Bistro

Take two steps down into a bright, elegant space and enjoy a refined version of bhel puri, a sweet-spicy mix of rice puffs, chickpea-flour noodles, chopped red onion and cilantro blended with tamarind sauce. It’s just one of the many chat, or street snacks, that begin a meal of carefully prepared, sophisticated classics (no wonder the crowd here is a cosmopolitan group of U.N. professionals). Malai kofta, lightly fried cheese dumplings bathed in a gently seasoned tomato-cream sauce, is a delicious complement to a plate of lemon, tomato and tamarind rices flavored with crisp curry leaves, cloves and almonds.