Stalled Downtown Corner Stirs

Decades after starting their careers at the same Indian hotel, Gopi Nair and Kannan Kesavalu have reunited to revive cult-caliber fast-casual Indian dining on a reviving corner of New Haven’s Orange Street.

The pair met with a health inspector for a final inspection Thursday as they prepare to open an Indian dine-in and take-out bistro called wow!!tikka at 135 Orange on the first floor of the historic Palladium building. It’s a reopening of sorts: Nair ran the popular Tikkaway eatery in that spot until closing it last summer. He has reunited with Kesavalu to open the doors again with a broader and updated menu.

That’s one of three dormant prime spots on the block with plans for new activity across the street from where a Chicago developer’s construction crew (pictured above) is putting up 166 new market-rate apartments. (Read about that here.)

The newish owner of the 360 State apartment tower this week cleared and paved the adjacent lot at the corner of Chapel and Orange. The original 360 State owner had planned to erect a multi-story building there, but never did. So the lot has remained vacant. 

Gideon Friedman, whose company bought the properties last November, said he had the work done to accommodate a temporary use for the lot. Right now, with construction costs high, it doesn’t make financial sense to build a long-term structure. But he’s talking with the city about operating a temporary outdoor market there in coming months. Beyond that, he said, he’s ​“exploring” bringing in a shipping container or airstream to operate a restaurant with outdoor seating and a beer garden. 

“We’re looking for a proof of concept now” for an eventual more permanent project, Friedman told the Independent. ​“Activating the space would be a good thing now for the area and generate some kind of momentum in the area.” 

Across the street at that corner, a Great Neck, N.Y. developer named Edward Roubeni has had city permission since 2019 to transform a long-empty historic bank building into 11 apartments along with commercial storefronts. The company has pulled permits for the work and at times had crews inside.

The exterior shows little change, and construction debris fills the above first-floor space facing Orange. But crews have successfully sheetrocked the upstairs apartments and are ready to put in the finishes, according to Andy Rizzo, the developer’s local coordinating consultant. ​“We’re at a little bit of a standstill. We’re going to be starting up again soon; I’m not sure when,” Rizzo said. 

Joe Able, who works for Roubeni’s organization out of New York, said the project had encountered some financing problems and ​“bad contractors” but is now about ready to resume. The secretary of the state’s office formally notified Roubeni’s limited liability corporation Wednesday that it faces dissolution and revocation of its certificate of registration if it doesn’t file an annual report within three months; it filed its most recent one for 2019. Filing an annual report won’t be a problem, Able told the Independent: ​“We did file when we financed it. It’s probably a couple years due … We kind of only do them when we have to. It’s the money. It’s forgetful.”

The news about Tikkaway 2.0/Wow!!Tikka is already heartening diehard fans of Gopi Nair’s fast-casual Indian fare.

In a conversation Thursday inside the space after the health inspector left (Nair said he gave a thumbs up), Nair and colleague Kesavalu said they expect to open for business this month.

The idea is to maintain the quick and authentic Indian fare from the original restaurant updated with new options and sauces. One sign reveals the continuation of the former Tikkaway’s trademark build-your-own bowls and wraps and salads. A second sign displays seven ​“street food” options including Samosa Chat (“crushed samosa layered with chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, topped with mint, raita, tamarind chutney”), chicken tacos, a spiced potato fritter sandwich, and ​“Desi loaded fries” topped with chicken or paneer.

“We are making Indian food acccessible, approachable, quick, easy, and fresh,” Nair said.

The two men met 20 years ago when they each landed career-starting internships at the Taj Hotel in Chennai, India. Nair trained in management, Kesavalu in the kitchen.

They lost touch when they moved to America. Kesavalu opened successful upscale restaurants in the Boston area while Nair hit on the fast-casual concept. Health problems led Nair to close Tikkaway last August. Kesavalu, looking to branch out, inquired about the space and learned from landlord Juan Solas-Romer that Nair had run the business. The two decided to team up to bring back the Orange Street restaurant; they have also opened one a block from Fenway Park in Boston.