Rasika West End

At Rasika West End, a family resemblance
By Tom Sietsema
Sunday, August 5, 2012

In most American cities, Rasika West End would rank as the best source for Indian cuisine. In Washington, the upstart faces formidable competition from a member of its own family: the original, jewel-toned Rasika, introduced to Penn Quarter by restaurateur Ashok Bajaj in 2005 and nurtured from Day One by chef Vikram Sunderam.

One of his many enticements is a salad of baby spinach dressed in a light chickpea batter, fried to a soft crackle and dappled with sweetened yogurt and a chutney of date and tamarind. To sample just that simple appetizer is to understand why the D Street destination merits four stars, my highest rating.

As for Rasika West End, the ingenue has been discovered. Drop by for midweek lunch, and the scene is as boisterous as if it were Saturday night. Although Bajaj could have easily repeated the blueprint, line for line, that made Rasika such a smash, he gave its spinoff a distinct identity.

The differences between old and new materialize the moment you step inside: A bar leads to a fizzy dining room where a three-dimensional ceiling evokes a canopy of trees and the blue booths ringing the perimeter take their cue from Indian ceremonial carriages. In the back of the restaurant is a raised retreat called the Library Room, named for the shelves of books -- purchased for their bright spines rather than their contents -- that enclose it. Even more intimate is the glass-walled, eight-seat kitchen table.

Wherever you sit, you will be surrounded by gracious help. The owner and I go back years, which means I’m a quickly identified customer in his myriad dining rooms around Washington, but even strangers to this establishment are likely to feel pampered by the informed attendants.

Sunderam oversees the menu, but his vision is executed by Manish Tyagi, a native of Mumbai whose credits include the sumptuous Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel in Jaipur. During any given shift, a dozen or so cooks support him.

Can’t snag a seat at the first Rasika? The new restaurant eases the pressure felt by the original by offering some of the latter’s hits, many meatless. They include cubes of cabbage in a golden cloak of yogurt fueled with curry and mustard seeds, and diced sweet potato seasoned with cumin and black salt. The most beautiful is a fluffy rice-and-lentil pancake inlaid with slices of asparagus, an edible mosaic completed with a dollop of tomato chutney. All have the power to convert carnivores to The Other Side. And all are more festive when enjoyed in the company of one of the restaurant's fine cocktails; the Divya made with gin, sparkling wine, spiced honey and lime is first among equals. Not all the drinks pack a punch. One of the most refreshing companions to this food is whatever fresh juice is being poured, most recently, grape (and nothing like Welch's).

Black cod flavored with honey, dill and cheese is a signature at Penn Quarter; the version in the West End includes that flavor combination as well as a second piece of fish flavored with tamarind and curry leaves -- two times the fun, in other words.

That said, there is a lot that’s new to the concept. One of the novel dishes is a soft, split tube of ground smoked lamb that some customers had a question about: How to eat the appetizer, which hints of rose petal? Bajaj addressed the concern by adding house-baked crackers to the presentation, displayed on a sauce of mint and cilantro. Bite-size blocks of tuna alternate with vivid green and red bell peppers on a skewer situated atop a brilliant yellow pool of mango sauce. Each bite of the bright-orange Shrimp Bezule comes with an audible crunch from its glassy shell of fried batter and a blast of heat from red and green chilis. Another reason to surf: thin slices of swordfish, tingling with lemon pickle. I love the black lentils served at the original, but the buttery legumes are more haunting across town, thanks to their contact with clove-scented smoke.

The plump lamb chops at Rasika West End may look familiar. Tyagi wins you to his side by serving them with a shimmering mint sauce that’s (pleasantly) sweeter than the yogurt-thickened accent spooned out in Penn Quarter.

No doubt inspired by the kitchen’s lavish use of spices, Rasika West End’s selection of wines by the glass ($10 to $18) offers a rich range of varietals: Torrontes, godello, chenin blanc, viognier, gamay, dolcetto and the exotically perfumed lacrima di morro (an Italian red from the Marches) join the usual suspects. Boutique labels get lots of attention, but it’s evident they need to answer a crucial question: Will they flatter the food? The 2010 Domaine Weinbach Cuvee St. Catherine Riesling from Alsace, France, and the 2008 Sean Thackery Andromeda Pinot Noir from Marin County, Calif., definitely do -- for a dear price ($118 and $122, respectively). Rasika West End’s markups typically are three times retail. A relative bargain, then, is the 2010 Domaine Georges Vernay Le Pied de Samson Viognier from France’s Rhone Valley, at $72. Ditto on the $44 Telmo Rodriguez Godello from Spain.

Chickpeas seasoned with green chili and ginger went unfinished after we discovered how undercooked the main ingredient was. With a few exceptions, the tandoor-baked breads here are not as distinctive as those served across town. Nor are the desserts as polished. An armor of burnt-tasting caramelized sugar did no favors for a bland rice pudding.

Rasika West End is the baby brother who aspires to emulate a much-admired first-born. Quibbles aside, the youngster is off to a rousing start, and if the past is any lesson — the original was first awarded 2 1/2 stars in 2006 — Rasika West End may find itself in the same lofty company as its predecessor.