Rasika

I had dinner at Rasika with my girlfriend Maeve on 2-8-2017. Now this is what I’m talkin’ ’bout! The food was good but the service was on another level. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. I cannot wait to go back.

Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 (mainly for service)
Food & Drink: 4 out of 5

I’m also obsessed with this picture. Photo credit Ms. Maeve.

The space is very modern, with lots of glass and metal, but still really comfortable. It has the windows of Zaytinya but the decor is much calmer. Note that this is the West End location and the Chinatown location is apparently totally different.

Left – Sania (bourbon, pear-infused honey, allspice, lime, bitter, thyme). Despite being in a coupe this is actually Maeve’s drink since I’m not a brown liquor gal. This drink had a complex flavor where you first tasted the bourbon and cinnamon and then finished with the pear-infused honey. Unfortunately it was a little too alcohol-tasting for me.
Right – Padma (pisco, pineapple, vanilla, bitters). This was very sweet, very pineapple-y and very delicious. You could also taste the vanilla and bitters to a lesser extent. And doesn’t it just look exotic?

Palak chaat (crispy spinach, tamarind, yogurt, date). I love this action shot. The fried spinach was amazing but the topping weirdly reminded me of taco dip. I’d still eat it though.

Mango shrimp (cashew, ginger, coriander). This was way less mango-tasting than I anticipated but better than expected. The mint chutney sauce was amazing! I would definitely recommend this.

Hariyali Paneer (mint, cilantro, green chiles). Again such an amazing sauce! And how huge are the paneer?! Also note this is where the waitress replaced our share plates. I know that’s such a small gesture but when it’s not done *cough* Zaytina *cough* everything gets so messy. Love the service here!

Black cod (dill, honey, cheddar, star anise, peanut quinoa). Man was this good: moist, SO TENDER and flavorful. I also want nuts in all my quinoa going forward. You should definitely get this.

Garlic naan. This was garlicky deliciousness. Also how sweet our waitress cut it in half for us. I know that’s trivial but it’s little gestures like that and the share plates that add up to a big difference in the end.

Bhindi chili garlic (okra, onions, ginger, green chilies). Meh. Maybe it’s supposed to be this way but the okra seemed overcooked and the flavor was just a dull sort of tomatoness.

Strawberry rasmalai (mousse, rose coulis). This. Was. Amazing. Like top 10 desserts of my life amazing. The coulis reminded me of my mom’s homemade strawberry daiquiris. Couple that with an almost burrata-like cheese atop of pillow of fluffy mouse and OMG I want more just writing this.

This was a stellar restaurant experience. The food was good but the service was another level. There was a mix up in seating us resulting in a 15 minute delay and then they asked us to move tables. Knowing we had theater tickets the waitress kept us totally on track time-wise without rushing us. At the end the manager apologized profusely for the initial confusion and took the apps off the bill. He offered to call a cab and when I told him my car was with the valet he said I could leave it there during the show if I wanted. He just went above and beyond to make sure we had a positive experience and really make us feel special. He succeeded.