Prospect Heights at dinnertime: what to order, what to share, what to take home

If you walk from the Grand Army Plaza station up Vanderbilt Avenue on a Friday evening, you will pass three pizza places, two wine bars, a cocktail bar that does oysters, and then us. Prospect Heights at dinnertime has a specific texture. It is a neighborhood that eats early, eats together, and takes things home. We tried to build a menu that fits into that shape.

Here is how we would set the table for you.

The two-person table

You came straight from work. One of you is hungry, the other one is mostly thirsty. You want to eat well, but you do not want to leave uncomfortably full.

Order: one Pani Puri to start — it is fast and clears the palate. One Paneer Tikka from the tandoor. One curry — Butter Chicken if you want the crowd-pleaser, Lamb Rogan Josh if you want something quieter and deeper. A single Garlic Naan and one small portion of Basmati Rice between you. One Mango Lassi to drink and share.

That is it. Eighty dollars at the table, forty-five minutes of being fed, out in time to catch a movie.

The four-person table

The classic mixed group. One of you does not like spicy, one of you does, one of you is a vegetarian, one of you will eat anything.

Start with Samosa Chaat and Pani Puri for the table. From the tandoor, Chicken Tikka for the omnivores and Malai Chicken Tikka as a milder option if someone's tolerance is lower. Then two curries and a biryani: Dal Makhani (nobody at a table of four does not like dal makhani) for the vegetarian, Butter Chicken as your safe middle, Lamb Biryani as your statement dish.

Two garlic naans, one plain naan, and a bowl of Saag Paneer if you want to make sure the vegetarian feels seen. Raita on the side cools everybody down. End with two Gulab Jamun, two Mango Kulfi, four forks, and it is over.

The six-person table

A birthday, an "I haven't seen you in a year," a quiet work dinner. You want to eat for ninety minutes and you want everybody to try everything.

Pani Puri and Samosa Chaat for everyone to start. Two things from the tandoor (Paneer Tikka and Seekh Kebab is a good split). Three mains: Butter Chicken, Saag Paneer, and Chana Masala — a protein, a green, a legume. One Lamb Biryani on top of that, served in the pot and cut open at the table. Four naans (mix of plain and garlic) and a bowl of Raita.

This is the order where the table starts to look the way an Indian table is supposed to look — covered in small dishes, everybody reaching across. That is the correct amount of food. Do not order less. You will want leftovers; the curries are better the next day.

Taking it home

Everything we do travels well except two things: the pani puri, which should be eaten in the room (the shells go soft on the walk home), and the biryani, which is best within the first thirty minutes after the seal comes off.

If you are getting takeout from the Vanderbilt room, I would skip the pani puri and order a Chicken Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken over Basmati Rice, with a single Garlic Naan and a Mango Lassi. That is a great Tuesday dinner for twenty-five dollars, and it keeps its integrity on the ten-minute walk back to your apartment.

Where to find us in Prospect Heights

We are at 655 Vanderbilt Avenue, just below Park Place. The room is small. We take the phone seriously — if you are going to be more than four, call ahead and we will hold a table. If you are ordering pickup, the fastest way is online. The number is (718) 398-7776.

If you are reading this in Williamsburg, the short version is: same menu, same hands, different room. 493 Grand Street, (718) 576-3352.