Better Know a District: Rasika (Restaurant Week)
Last week, hubby and I celebrated the 5th anniversary of the day we met. Lucky for us, this particular anniversary happened to land on DC’s Restaurant Week. After studying the list of participating restaurants, we booked a dinner reservation at Rasika, an Indian restaurant in Penn Quarter that neither of us had previously been to, but had heard so much about.
Walking into Rasika, my eye immediately went to the “wall” of hanging crystal strands separating the bar from the dining room. The crystals were catching the light in the room so beautifully, and gave a subtle majesty to the intimate space.
I feel terrible that we didn’t get our waiter’s name, because I do not have enough good things to say about him. From the moment we sat down, he was kind, welcoming and attentive, and seemed genuinely honored to be serving us. Even though it was Restaurant Week, and even though every table was booked solid all week, he took one look at us as soon as we sat down, and asked us which occasion we were there celebrating (even though I made no note of any occasion in my reservation).
For our meal, we decided that each of us would order a different item from each course, and split them all. For our first course, we ordered the Palak Chaat (recommended by our waiter) and the Parsi Lamb Cutlet. Let me just say - we could have walked out after eating the first course and been two of the happiest and most satisfied people in the city. This course was easily the best of the night. The Palak Chaat is baby spinach cooked to a tender yet fine crisp, and garnished with yogurt and date chutney. It was amazing - simply amazing. This is the type of dish that you will never be able to replicate in your own kitchen. Never. The photograph I took does not even begin to give this little appetizer the justice it deserves.
The other appetizer we chose was the lamb cutlets. On the surface, it looks like something you’d see at an Italian restaurant. Thinly sliced cuts of lamb dredged in flour and an egg wash, fried, then topped with a tangy Masala sauce. (Please note: the flour, egg wash, fried bit is my feeble attempt at describing the texture of the cutlets. I could actually be incorrect on the technique.) We were practically licking the sauce off our plates by the time we were done with this dish.
For our entrees, we chose the Black Cod (recommended by our waiter) and the Lamb Pepper Masala. The Black Cod was the clear winner of the two. It cut like butter, and it had a menagerie of flavor including honey, dill, star anise, and red wine vinegar. The Lamb Pepper Masala was great if you love spicy food, but didn’t seem that different from something you’d find at any other traditional Indian restaurant.
The entrees came with a side of steamed basmati rice, and an order of buttery naan bread. For extra measures, we ordered the Palak Paneer a la carte, because Palak Paneer tends to be our “litmus test” for Indian restaurants. Turned out to be a wise decision to venture off the Restaurant Week menu. It was easily the best Palak Paneer we’ve ever had.
For dessert, we decided on the Gulab Jamun (our waiter’s recommendation) and the Carrot Helwa. The Gulab Jamun consisted of fried dough soaked in a sugary-sweet sauce, and served with a side of cardamom ice cream. Even though we have a terrible habit of discriminating against non-chocolate desserts, we both loved the Gulab Jamun. The Carrot Helwa was basically an Indian version of carrot cake. The kitchen even added candles to the helwa in celebration of our day-we-met anniversary.
The last treat of the evening was a leisurely stroll through a beautiful city on a perfect summer evening with my handsome hubby.
