Goa-Inspired Cooking Gets Its Due in New York City

Food from the Indian state of Goa rarely appears in American restaurants, but New York is about to get a lot of it all at once. Starting in February, chef Hussain Shahzad's acclaimed Goan-inspired restaurant, O Pedro, will travel from Mumbai to New York City, making it the fourth restaurant-in-residence at Intersect by Lexus since the program launched in 2018.

The eclectic bar and restaurant, which riffs on traditional Goan cuisine and its Portuguese influences, spotlights Shahzad's favorite ingredients, techniques, and drinks from the famously chill southwestern stretch of Indian coast. During O Pedro's four-month stint in New York's Meatpacking neighborhood, he aims to show off dishes and flavors that many Americans have likely never experienced.

Take the Choriz Chilli Taco, one of O Pedro's most popular items. Goa is the only state in India that makes sausage, Shahzad says, and O Pedro takes chorizo (brought to the region by the Portuguese centuries ago) and piles it onto a chewy taco of thin, pillowy bhakri.

"They're the only people who mastered making sausage in a subtropic climate," Shahzad says. "Where every other charcuterie comes from, it tends to be colder regions."

Having traveled extensively in Goa and Portugal before opening O Pedro in 2017, Shahzad is particularly interested in reviving waning traditions like wood-fired breadmaking. Every table at O Pedro—and soon at Intersect by Lexus—showcases a sourdough version of Goan yeast-leavened bread, served alongside "balchow" butter. Balchão is a super-spicy, pickle-like preparation most commonly associated with shrimp and seafood; the Portuguese also brought vinegar-based pickling to Goa, and thus to India.

"As Goans, we added spices and chillies to accentuate the pickles," Shahzad says. "So it's smoky, sweet, sour, and spicy."

Other dishes making it to New York for the first time will be purple potato and kohlrabi danger (seasoned fried patties "inspired by the Hindus of Goa"), pork neck assado ("great marbling, great fat-to-meat ratio, great on the grill"), Alaskan King Crab Kismur (crispy and tossed with chillies, curry leaves, and fresh coconut masala), and some classic Lisboa pastel de nata.

The menu also includes some of the drinks that have made O Pedro one of Mumbai's coolest cocktail destinations, including "Not a Bloody Mary," which is made with clarified tomato water, chorizo, and a celery chilli rim.

Below, find the O Pedro menu that will be served at Intersect by Lexus.

COCKTAILS

Pedro's Gin & Tonic

Mr. Fernandez's Fancy Drink

Vasco Sour

Not A Bloody Mary

Meri Tai

BREAD

Sourdough Poee with 'Balchow' Butter

QUARTER PLATES

Charred Pumpkin Pâté

'Canned' Sardines

Lamb 'Guacamole'

HALF PLATES

Lotus Root Chilli Fry

Purple Potato & Kohlrabi 'Dangar'

Seafood Tower

Prawn 'Balchow'

Crispy Puffer Fish

Alaskan King Crab 'Kismur'

Chorizo Braised Octopus

Quail 'Piri-Piri'

Choriz Chili Taco

Veal Tongue Carpaccio

Roasted Bone Marrow

FULL PLATES

Sun-dried Green Pea Curry 'Watana Rassa'

Goan Striped Bass Curry 'Sheet Kodi'

Whole Red Snapper 'Rechado'

Pork Neck 'Assado'

Grilled Rib Eye 'Jeere-Meere'

Duck 'Xacutti'

DESSERTS

Lisboa Pastel de Nata

Crêpe Cake

Portuguese Doughnuts 'Sonhos'

Kokum Sorbet 'Sundae'

Intersect by Lexus, 412 West 14th Street New York, NY.