Banjara Indian Restaurant   

With ultra-tony, chef-planned fusion menus suddenly de rigueur for every new Indian restaurant in Manhattan, it's almost a relief to find a place that dares to serve the familiar array of North Indian standards. On paper, Banjara's menu isn't much different from what you'll find at any of those pedestrian, Bengali- owned curry shops along Sixth Street, but the execution's a cut above. In another departure from Sixth Street norms, the corner location is airy and tastefully appointed, with decorative touches inspired by the Rajastani gypsy culture from which it takes its name. -- Jacob Levich