Posh Spice

The city's chefs have long prided themselves on bringing the home cooking of Italy and France into their restaurants. For example, there's the Tuscan bread-and-bean soup ribollita at places like Poggio and Delfina, and omelettes for dinner at Zuni Café and Bar Tartine.

Indian homestyle food was a rarity, though--until now.

At Campton Place, chef Srijith Gopinathan blindsides breakfast diners. Gopinathan, a native of southern India, serves poha ($12), a traditional dish of seasoned, flattened rice. The treated rice looks like Rice Krispies that have been run over by a steamroller.

The delicate grains are lightly fried with shallots, black mustard seeds, the prototypical south Indian legume urad dal, slivered curry leaves, turmeric and a bit of red chile. The sum is a gentle wake-up call--more akin to the demure whir of an overhead fan than the blaring peal of an alarm clock.

If we're feeling grand, we like to order a pot of golden Assam tea ($6) and plain yogurt ($6) alongside our poha.

A cheap breakfast? Certainly not. But the price is a bargain for such posh surroundings and a steal for the type of homey dish impossible to find anywhere else.

Campton Place Restaurant, 340 Stockton St. (at Campton Pl.); 415-781-5555 or tajhotels.com