Spork and Knife

There’s nothing like walking into a restaurant and feeling yourself transported to another world. Instantly you relax, sit down and let the day catch up to you. A good restaurant can make you feel all of these things. The theme envelopes and transports you on a mini vacation…the 2-3 hour kind.

My goal for RW this year was to find such a place, and venturing to the Penn Quarter on what felt like the coldest night of the year, I was hoping my pick could bring such a reprieve.

Keeping this thought in mind, D and I braved the snow and ice, hopped in the car and made our way to the fun foodie corner of Penn Quarter. Diners beware, if you plan on driving to the Penn Quarter be prepared to hunt for a parking spot like a lion stalks its prey. After circling the blocks for 15 minutes (why didn’t we metro?!) we finally snagged a spot 2 blocks from the restaurant. Perfect…except for the fact that in this part of town the meters run until 9:30pm. Blast! Perpetually out of quarters the two of us scoured the streets for an ATM and a place to make some change. Twenty wet and soggy minutes later (ok, so D was the only wet and soggy one. I hid in a store while D played the part of a gentleman. Who said chivalry was dead?!) we made our way into Rasika and took in the scenery. The light was dim and the colors resembled a spice cabinet (think curry and tumeric with a little paprika). The effect was very calming, but combined with the sleek and clean lined furniture the atmosphere still gave off a trendy vibe.

Since we were fifteen minutes early for our eight thirty reservations, the host kindly checked our coats and we saddled up to the bar. Shortly after ordering our Kingfisher beers, an Indian pilsener style brew, we were shown our to table and began perusing the leather bound menus.

For my first course I went with the dish that had the most chatter surrounding it: Palak Chaat. Being rather ravenous since our reservations were so late, D went with the Seekh Kabob (lamb with mint chutney). While D’s choice was very good, with large tender pieces of lamb; my crispy spinach with sweet yogurt, tamarind and date chutney was what I can now claim as, my favorite Indian dish to-date. It combined, creamy, sweet and crunchy into one sensory explosion. Our waiter must have seen my face of joy because he ran over and chimed in that Palak Chaat was Rasika’s specialty. Take note: If you like spinach, try this dish.

The rest of the meal revealed a mix of traditional and non-traditional Indian dishes. My black cod was cooked perfectly with a smooth, light and flaky texture accompanied by a strong flavor of star anise. (If you don’t like black liquorice steer clear of this pick)

The desserts didn’t wow me.  The Indian style rice pudding (which is not listed on their regular online menu) was good but lacking the punch of flavor I’ve come to love from a lot of Indian dishes. D’s honey and ginger ice cream was good-with little bits of crystallized ginger surprising you in every bite, but I got the feeling that desserts were an afterthought compared to the rest of Rasika’s menu. Perhaps it was just a restaurant week thing.

Regardless, the entire trip was successful. Thanks to Restaurant Week Rasika has gained a faithful diner. Sure this city has a lot of great Indian restaurants (Heritage India and Indique come to mind) but Rasika stands out with its trendy decor, cutting edge-slightly non traditional dishes, excellent classics and very friendly and accommodating service. If anything I’d go back solely for the Palak Chaat. Seriously. Prices normally run $15-$28 for an entree so be prepared to pay a bit more than if you were at a run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant. Additionally, a basket of Naan is $3 extra so add that on to the cost as well.

Thinking ahead, I would suggest Rasika for anyone looking to make an evening out of their meal. For those looking for a quick Indian fix on the lower budget side, look elsewhere.

Rasika

633 D St. NW

Washington, D.C. 20004

202-637-1222