My spouse and I dined at Rasika Penn Quarter for dinner on a
Wednesday evening in early January 2020. Rasika is open for lunch on weekdays
and for dinner on Mondays through Saturdays (closed on Sundays). Guests can
book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system; and reservations
were very much a necessity on the weeknight that we visited. Valet parking is
offered at night, and a coat check is also available.
Rasika Penn Quarter is located on D Street NW; another
location is located in the West End on New Hampshire Avenue NW. Knightsbridge
Restaurant Group operates the two Rasika properties, along with other DC
restaurants including Annabelle, Bibiana, Bindaas, Bombay Club, Olivia, Oval
Room, Modena, and Sababa. The word “Rasika” means “flavors”, and their food
offers plenty of that! The main dining space is large, with a bar and lounge on
one side (with cocktail tables adjacent that share banquette seating on one
side) and the main dining room with table seating on the other (some of which
share the opposite side of the bar banquette); the two parts of the room are
separated by a hanging crystal curtain. In the rear, an open kitchen offers
seating at a chef’s bar in front of it. When we made our reservation, we had
requested to sit at the chef’s counter, but we were disappointed to find that
the bar and the accompanying chairs were much too low to actually observe the
chef cooking; therefore, we would not recommend this seating unless nothing
else is available.) A side dining room offers overflow seating and event space.
Rasika serves modern Indian cuisine, including options from
the Tawa (griddle), Sigri (barbeque), and Tandoori (oven). We are a bit
inexperienced with Indian food, so we relied on our informative and helpful
waiter to make our selections. As starters, we shared the Wild Mushroom Dosa (thin
chick pea crepes served with a tomato chutney), the Tawa Baingan (a tower of eggplant,
potato, olive oil), and the Palak Chaat (spinach lightly coated in chickpea
flour batter and tossed with tomatoes, tamarind and date chutney, and a yogurt
drizzle, which was our favorite dish of the evening). As a main dish, we shared
the Lamb Roganjosh (onion, tomato, saffron) with sides of rice, creamy lentils,
and naan. For dessert, we tried the Gulab Jamun (two dough balls drenched in
syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachios, plated with a scoop of ice cream
plated between them). Rasika offers a full liquor license, so you can enjoy
beer, wine, and cocktails with your meal; we tried one of their non-alcoholic
drinks featuring mango juice as well as their unique iced tea (blended for them
by Teavana).
We enjoyed our dinner at Rasika Penn Quarter; we do not
often have the opportunity to try upscale Indian food where we live, so we appreciated
the unique experience.
