Rasika

Reviews 4

PA

Paloma Suriol

This restaurant was a disappointment on several levels. The hallmark of an upscale restaurant is that they treat you like a VIP from the moment you come in and do their best to provide a whole pleasant meal experience. We ordered for our lunch the chefs tasting menu, which is a multi-course choice somewhat large for lunch, and just a starter for my wife, with the idea to share the food. Well, the waiter balked at that and said he had to ask if the manager would allow us to share our food. This was not an all-you-can-eat buffet, where sharing is obviously a form of cheating; this was a fixed amount of food Id pay for and with which I should be able to do almost anything I please. It had a chilling effect on any enthusiasm we may have had to try this new restaurant, and things did not get less awkward when the waiter informed us that permission to share our food had been granted. I felt a rude retort wanting out, but I kept my cool. This was going to be a $100 lunch for two, and there was not a trace of VIP feeling. In lesser restaurants we often get, bread and garlic oil, salsa and chips, or olives, on arrival, to bridge the wait for the first course, but here not even a measly poppodum was in sight. Service was slow for a non-peak time and when the food arrived some of it was excellent, some of it was not. Their crisp spinach and mango shrimp are really good, but the rest was below par, especially the typically Indian dishes like butter chicken and other meats and vegetables with a thick, rich sauce. We were told they serve American Indian cuisine, but to me it was just Frenchified Indian. Not a good mixture. Original Indian sauces are rich enough, these were even richer and saltier. Too salty, in fact, and I love salt in my food. What I like about Indian sauces is that they blend lots of spices to a delicious balanced mix where the spices work as a team and no particular one dominates. Not here, the hyper-rich sauces had an obviously dominant spice, be it cardamon or clove, which lacked the beautiful balance I appreciate. The Naan bread was burnt on one side. In the end the manager came to talk to us, and mentioned that the no sharing rule was the owners idea, and gave the reasons, which seemed to apply to large parties, but not to the two of us. I asked the manager to remind the owner that with those prices, one expects the restaurateur to go out of his way to make the customer happy while under his roof, and to make the customer feel cheap with their absurd no-sharing rule was far from it. At least he apologized and took the starter off the bill, which is the reason why I give the restaurant two stars. I dont believe this new branch of Indian cuisine will supersede the traditional one any time soon, and it is a fact that I can get better Indian food and more pleasant meal experience at half the price, at any of a long list of places in and around DC, Mantra, in Falls Church comes to mind, to which I shall be returning. I shall not visit Rasika again.

AL

Alice Wang

Ive had Rasika bookmarked for years, but it wasnt until my birthday that I finally had the chance to try this restaurant. I made reservations on OpenTable a few weeks back, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to eat here. My mom and I got here a few minutes before 5:30pm when they officially open for dinner, and the restaurant was already 1/3 full. We ordered some drinks and the following appetizers and entrees, along with a few orders of garlic naan: +Palak Chaat (baby spinach with sweet yogurt, tamarind, and date chutney) +Cauliflower Bezule with mustard seeds, green chilies, and curry leaves +Tandoori Chicken Tikka (seasoned with garam masala, mint chutney, and chili) +Black Cod (seasoned with red wine vinegar, fresh dill, honey, and star anise) +Nalli Gosht (lamb shank with mace and saffron) You must order the Palak Chaat. I couldnt believe it was actually spinach. Crispy and sweet, the dish reminded me a bit of kale chips but way better. I also really liked the cauliflower dish. Its twice cooked, first fried in a chili-spiked batter and then sautéed with aromatic ingredients. Great start to the meal. The tandoori chicken tikka was very good. The chicken was cooked perfectly. I usually prefer chicken tikka masala, but this tandoori chicken had lots of flavor. However, my favorite entrée was definitely the black cod. Its pricier ($30) than the other entrees, but its worth it. The cod is so tender it melts in your mouth. And its got a nice, slightly sweet taste from the honey. The Nalli Gosht is also very good, as the lamb glides so easily off the bone. Since it was my birthday, they offered a complementary dessert of cardamon ice cream and gulab jamun (a popular South Asian sweet made from milk solids). Nice balance between the cardamom and the gulab jamun. Service was fantastic. Our server constantly came to make sure we were doing okay, and he was very helpful in recommending dishes. We all felt very well taken care of throughout our meal. Rasika is a wonderful place to take your date or to impress business clients. Great food, great service. You cant go wrong here.

CA

Carol Chan

Theres nothing more I can or have to say about Rasika. Perfection all around! With MLKs day fall on Winter Restaurant Week this year, my husband and I were lucky enough to have the day off and to participate in their lunch RW menu. As for the RW menu - My husband and I such a hard time deciding - there were just too many choices and I honestly would had been happy with eating any of the items listed! Ultimately I knew I had to go with their signature palaak chaat and my husband went with their sea bass for appetizers. And both dishes did not disappoint. They were a lot bigger portioned than I expected especially for a RW menu. We were already feeling satisfied after our round of appetizers. Then came the main entrees - lamb almond, ginger curry and chicken curry served with a basket of naan, mint paratha, and rice. We finally understood why nearby tables had so many bags of leftovers - there were just too much food - food so good that my husband and I didnt have the self control to say no. (I regret later on however - I should have left a piece of chicken or lamb so I could ask to pack the sauce to go lol - what was I thinking?!) Desserts - carrot halwa and gulab jamun - I found my carrot halwa to be a bit too sweet and wished there were a bit more ice cream! I assumed my husband enjoyed his dessert since he didnt offer me any and licked the syrup off his bowl/plate clean. What an incredible meal! Rasika is one of the few restaurants that does RW right - after todays impressive food and service, my husband and I already booked their tasting for Vday! Honestly restaurant week or not - What are you waiting for? Get on opentable and make your reservation already!

RE

Renee Grebe

For a vegetarian, this is as good as it gets (my meat-eating friends say thats about right as well for them!). The appetizers here were out of this world, so I strongly recommend coming hungry enough for at least 2 of them. Everyone hypes the palak chaat (crispy spinach): **follow the hype**, its worth the $9 and youll whimper with delight with every bite. The paneer stuffed dates and chesnut/fava bean patties were also worth the experience. The sweet potatoes were very good, but would be 4th on my list compared the other 3! I found the crimini/artichoke curry delicious with the brown rice, but it wasnt as good as the apps (which all flat out floored me). The mixed drinks were creative and delicious (I had the whiskey colada), but small enough that I felt a tad of bitterness for the price they charged. That being said, the price of their dinners (particularly the vegetarian dinners) seemed extremely reasonable for the quality ($12.50 for a full and $7 for a half). It did seem a bit loud, so if youre looking for a nice quiet place, this might not be for you - it could be difficult to hear. The service was all fantastic - few trip ups. Water was always filled, food was brought promptly, and our waiter never hesitated to spend time with us answering the questions we had and was always easy to get a hold of if we needed him. Gulab jaman for dessert was good (but no different from what Ive had elsewhere), but they served it with cardamom ice cream (which my friend told me was heavenly). If youve not been, be sure to visit. Call ahead with 1-2 weeks leave time - tables fill up fast!