DC: Rasika (January 2020)

Rasika - Interesting Menu in Chic Surroundings

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.