Manhattan only, and Dinner only.

Thanks for all the great replies!

I beg to disagree with Al about the 6th Street Indian places; most of these are run by Bangladeshis and do not offer really excellent Indian food, just generic versions of all the staples,although they are cheap. I think you can do much better for one meal here.

Tamarind, Tamarind, Tamarind! Did I mention Tamarind? I have lived in NYC for 15 years and everyone I know will agree that this is by far the best Indian restaurant here. I was introduced to it about 5 years ago by an Indian friend of mine who raved about it and I have since introduced it to others. Everyone I take there LOVES it. The food is fabulous - perfectly prepared with the freshest ingredients. They serve all traditional dishes as well as some creative ones. The service is great and the decor is lovely. It's not cheap, but worth every penny! You can always save by not ordering expensive bottles of wine. Otherwise, if you're looking for less expensive but still Very Good, I highly recommend Haveli on 2nd Ave (btw 5th & 6th Sts), Banjara on the corner of 1st Ave & 6th St or Mitali on 6th St (Btw 1st Ave & 2nd Ave). I would say that they are equally good, the main difference is decor. They are all within a block from each other so you could always check them out and decide on your mood. Although Tabla is lovely, I would not recommend it for you. It is not authentic Indian food and it is Very expensive. I actually had dinner at Haveli last night and it was wonderful. Enjoy!

You can also get ideas on menupages.com. You can filter on Indian, and by neighborhood. It has menus and reviews.

If you want to try something a bit different, take the subway to Jackson Heights, Queens and go to the Jackson Diner (don't be turned off by the name, this is the real deal).

For more info on Jackson Diner, here's a review from NY Magazine, http://www.newyorkmetro.com/listings...jackson-diner/.

for inexpensive, i like "joy" in curry hill. just had leftovers actually! and tamarind is top of my list, haven't been able to get there yet, but the reputation preceeds it. (? ;-) )