Typically, I like to research the culinary scene in a city so that I only review the most popular restaurants. Once in a while, though, a friend or two will recommend a restaurant that I may never have heard anything about and will do so with such high praise that I almost feel obligated to go.

That is exactly how I ended up at Taj of India. It was near the end of the Georgetown school year, and my friends and I were looking for a guys’ night out with some food—a way to both celebrate our successes and cherish the last few days we had together. Of course, college students don’t have all that much expendable income, so we also needed a relatively cheap restaurant. The solution: Taj of India.

When I heard about it at first, I was a little unimpressed. As an LA resident, I’ve eaten some excellent Indian food throughout my life, and DC’s Indian cuisine, in general, can’t compare (though Rasika has, to be fair, changed my mind slightly). Nor had I ever seen Taj of India on any list or review of the city’s dining experiences. Thus, when I heard from every single one of my roommates that this Indian restaurant serves up some of the best Chicken Tikka Masala—my absolute favorite Indian dish, by the way—I was very suspicious, to say the least. Still, with a recommendation like that, it was impossible for me to resist, especially when I had three fantastic friends joining me.

Upon reaching the restaurant, though, I immediately began to fear that my suspicions would prove correct. Simply nothing seemed to impress, especially the ambience, which was more than bland. I realize that numerous Indian restaurants in America are on the tacky side, with ostentatious, fake Indian ornamentation, such as statues and posters of gods, bright red colors, jewels, etc. Here, though, you see the opposite problem. There is no ornamentation at all, so that you’re left to look at the plain, white stucco walls. Everything is well-arranged, and you do get a lot of space to yourself, but there is absolutely nothing of interest in the décor, to the point that I had to try to find decent photos to take of the restaurant interior. Moreover, I actually like a little bit of Indian flare. The restaurant went with about the most neutral color scheme and decoration scheme possible, making it literally indistinguishable from any other type of restaurant. It really has very little character of its own and does not feel very “Indian” at all.

Nor was the service much to talk about. I barely even saw my waiter, who came in complete silence every once in a while to pour a cup of water or bring a dish and leave. The service was slow, even though we ordered just a couple samosas and some curries, which really shouldn’t take too long to prepare. It’s even more surprising because the whole restaurant was empty. On the more positive side, this is the type of place where you won’t feel like you’re being rushed at all. That does not, however, make up for the service.

Worst of all, though, that absolutely phenomenal chicken tikka masala I’d heard so much about was, in fact, absolutely forgettable. It took just one taste for me to realize the fundamental problem. Gone were the great nuances of herbs, spices, and especially tomato that I love in a tikka masala. Instead, what I got was an overly heavy, creamy, stew-like curry with very little flavor. Normally, I love a great cream sauce, since I grew up eating rich sauces all the time. Here, though, even I found it to be cloying. So much cream was used that it suppressed the taste of the spices. There was just a small spicy pinch that came in at the end, but even that faded almost immediately. Moreover, the dish just didn’t incorporate the flavors of a chicken tikka massala, as it lacked almost any taste of tomato. If there weren’t small bits of tomato integrated into the stew, I wouldn’t have thought any tomatoes had been used whatsoever. Topping off all these problems, the dish didn’t have any of that fresh zest that Indian dishes exude, instead being bogged down by an excessive fattiness that just left me feeling bloated.

There were, however, a couple positives that pulled it just slightly above horrible. The chicken was very tender and succulent, so I could easily eat it even without the stew. Moreover, unlike most chicken tikka masalas, where the chicken is relegated to a small supporting role, here it took center stage, as the stew practically overflowed with huge chunks of meat. It really was the quality and—probably even more importantly—the quantity of that chicken that saved the dish, which had no flavor of its own and needed to draw on the flavor of that chicken to compensate.

To complement my tikka masala, I also had some interesting Masala Tea, which I found much more enjoyable. Masala Tea is simply black tea with spices and milk, but it had a nicely zesty, spiced aftertaste that left me refreshed. It was not sweet at all, but the bitterness of the moderately strong black tea was counterbalanced by the spice.

I also had just a taste of the lamb vindaloo. This dish seemed a lot better than my own, though it too was not notable. The emphasis here was on an intense spice, which took me very much by surprise, considering just how mild my dish was. It, in fact, left my mouth burning. In light of the lamb vindaloo’s far superior taste, there is the distinct possibility that I just picked a bad dish on the menu and that the other menu items are executed far better.

Still, chicken tikka masala is a staple for almost any restaurant, and Taj of India goes so far as to call it a house special. While I didn’t get to try a wide variety of dishes, I do have to say that I was disappointed intensely with Taj of India, especially since it failed at one of its best dishes. I’d recommend avoiding it.

Scores

Ambience: 0.8/5.0
Taste: 1.0/5.0
Value: 1.8/5.0. Cheap, but still overpriced for the quality and amount.
Service: 1.3/5.0
Verdict: 1.1/5.0

For my weekly restaurant outing this week, I was really just looking to accommodate a friend with a gluten intolerance problem without having to sacrifice quality. I’ve always dreaded those kinds of conditions, since the food typically tastes like a modified, adulterated version of what you’d normally eat. DC, though, is surprisingly a pretty gluten-conscious restaurant scene, and even some of the better/more critically acclaimed restaurants can accommodate gluten-free eaters. Anyway, so on Saturday night, my friends and I headed over to Rasika, probably the most famous Indian restaurant in town and ranked among the 20’s on Washingtonian’s best 100 restaurants list.

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This isn’t your traditional Indian, though. Rasika verges on the more modern side. Gone is the traditional simplicity of the Indian world. Replacing it is a very chic environment, complete with a nice, comfy lounge, a rather large wine cellar, and a main dining room that just screams of class. The dining area is especially impressive—just huge space and relatively few tables, polished wood, a small counter area around an open kitchen, and even a curtain of crystal beads to block sight of all the commoners sitting in the lounge area. Or at least that’s how Rasika feels, with its somewhat presumptuous air of European refinement. On the positive side, though, it is gorgeous, very comfortable, and much, much nicer than what you’ll find in almost any Indian restaurant. Not surprisingly, it’s also a popular hangout with the professionals in town, so you get lots of suits in there, something I’ve never seen in an Indian restaurant before.

And that type of class continues with the service and even the food. The service quality depends on whom you ask, but I thought it was fantastic. Our waiter was attentive, prompt, gave very helpful recommendations, and even hooked us up with an extra appetizer—their best—just so that the whole table could try it out. And when my friend decided he couldn’t drink his cocktail because it was so horrible, the waiter took it back with no charge, either. On the other hand, another friend thought the service was horrible, since the waiter accidentally stepped on his foot for a minute without noticing. So take the service for what you will, but I personally will vouch for the waiter as rather respectful and welcoming.

Topping off the great food and atmosphere, the food was fantastic. Even though most dishes are very traditional, there are still some rather unique and inventive choices on the menu, both in how the traditional dishes are re-imagined and in what types of dishes are offered. For example, you don’t typically see such choices as a black cod (the signature) or a chicken green masala on the menu. Just as importantly, it doesn’t feel like needless innovation, i.e. innovation just to be different. Instead, the flavors just burst in your mouth, as each dish tends to utilize very few, very strong ingredients but still retains a surprising complexity, combining a taste of spice with the sweet, the crunchy, the minty, etc.

I have only two complaints. First—and this is rather small—is that the traditional drinks accompanying Indian food, like fruit juices, are downplayed (i.e. almost non-existent) in favor of wines. While I myself didn’t have any wine, I just don’t see the point of accompanying Indian food with $100+ bottle of wine, and I’ve heard numerous times that the attempt at Rasika is somewhat of a dead end. Second, and much more importantly, is the price. This is still just $30-$50, but in terms of prices for Indian food, that’s still on the pricier end. $16 isn’t bad for a curry entrée, but you can get it at most traditional places for about $10 or less. Still, you pay for the ambience, service, and quality, and I do have to say that I’d gladly dish out the extra money for a fantastic, memorable Indian experience.

All in all, I, and every single one of my friends with me, had a fantastic time at Rasika. It scores high in almost all regards, and it was one of the best and, I will say, the most interesting Indian restaurant I’ve ever eaten at.

What I’ve had:

1. Palak Chaat (crispy spinach, sweet yogurt, tamarind, date chutney): This is a house specialty, and for good reason—it was the best dish I had and quite possibly the best use of spinach I’ve ever seen. It seems deceptively simple, with just four ingredients, but everything just melds so perfectly. The crispiness gives it a nice crunch, but since it’s spinach, it doesn’t feel greasy but rather very light. The yogurt adds an interesting sweetness but also a nice, light, milky coolness to it that gives it a nice contrasting texture. And to top it all off, there’s a fantastic spiciness that kicks in near the end, counterbalancing the sweetness. Combining the sweet, spicy, and crunchy perfectly, this is a near flawless dish. 4.9/5.0
2. Chicken Makhani (broiled chicken, tomato, fenugreek): This is pretty much a tomato-based curry sauce, and Rasika does it better than just about anyone else, at least in terms of the quality of the chicken itself. The chicken was tender, just melting in your mouth. And the sauce itself was fantastic. What tends to happen in Makhanis is that either the tomato or the saffron/curry flavors will dominate, but here they blended perfectly so that you got the creaminess of the sauce and a nice light zesty tomato flavor to it. My favorite entrée. 4.3/5.0
3. Lamb Roganjosh (caramelized onions, tomatoes, garam masala): This was the one slightly disappointing curry-type entrée, although it was still good in its own right. They made it on the spicy side, and the naturally gritty quality of the sauce (due to the caramelized onions I think) makes it taste likes you’re eating a spoonful of cayenne pepper oddly enough. To be fair, though, the lamb was fantastic—just as tender as the chicken). The tomato and especially the sweetness of the onions really added some nice balance to the spiciness. And it had more of an earthy heaviness to it that you don’t get as much in the lighter, creamier masala and makhani. 3.0/5.0
4. Chicken Green Masala (Chicken, mint, coriander, ground spices): This one really just came out of nowhere as one of the most inventive and best tasting foods of the evening. While I prefer the traditional flavors of the chicken makhani, this one is probably the technically more interesting and complex dish. The chicken is absolutely tender, even more so than in the Makhani, and it’s incredibly succulent. Plus, it suits the minty sauce very well, which gives it a nice kick and zestiness. And the sauce itself just makes your taste buds go all over the place. It’s about as spicy as an Indian dish can be, but the mint and coriander act as a perfect counterbalance, giving it a nice cooling freshness that really adds lots of flavor and a great contrast. And it’s a dish you probably won’t find anywhere else, at least not in this form. 4.3/5.0 (higher score if you like spicy or minty foods).
5. Garlic Naan: The bread was rather good, though for me it wasn’t quite fluffy enough. Rather, this was more like pita bread with a layer of fluff on top, so it didn’t seem like quite starchy or heavy enough to really be eaten with the curry in its own right. Still, the flavor was very good, the garlic coming through very well, and the bread itself did taste rather good and soft.  3.0/5.0
6. Raita (yogurt): This yogurt was meant to accompany the Chicken Biryani (a friend’s dish) as a cooling agent, but it was so delicious and flavorful that I could easily eat it alone, which is all the more surprising because I’m not a big yogurt eater. It had a great minty flavor to it, with a slight herby sweetness that really complemented the milky, cooling quality. And, best of all, it left you feeling refreshed, with a very nice lightness to it and a great zesty aftertaste, which really did help to cool off some of the curry I had. 4.5/5.0
7. Apple Jalebi (Beignet) with orange, cardamom ice cream: This was an interesting dessert, with a nice light freshness to it that you just don’t get in most “donut” type desserts, which are often just so heavy and flavorless because of the excessive doughy sweetness. Here, though, you get light batter onion ring-style beignets, filled with apple strands (or what seems like a apple jelly). The donut itself is very light and flavorful, with a great, strong, sour apple taste to it that really stands out since it’s not excessively doughy. Still, it’s a bit too sour for me, overshadowing some of the sweetness of the dish. The ice cream, though, is fantastic, with a real zesty quality to it as a result of the infusion of orange and cardamom—and trust me, it really does taste like you’re eating cardamom. The ice cream alone would have been quite the treat. The mix of the beignet with the ice cream isn’t the greatest, but the ice cream does give it some needed sweetness  3.0/5.0
8. Date and toffee pudding with berries: I just had a bite of this, but it was quite good. It’s about as soft and moist as a cake can be, with a fantastic, fresh, fruity sweetness to it as a result of the infusion of dates. Moreover, it’s not soaked in syrup as with many other puddings, so the dessert is much lighter, and you really taste and savor the cake, which is flavorful in its own right, especially with its pound cake-like texture. It was so good, in fact, that my friend got two in one night. 3.5-4.0/5.0
9. Ginger Pisco Sour—I actually didn’t have this one, so I can’t rate it. But according to my friend, it really was quite an amazing cocktail—hence, why they ran out of it after about 8:00 pm.

What I’ve had at another time:

1. Black Cod (Fresh Dill, Honey, Star Anise, Red Wine Vinegar): The specialty of the house, and for good reason. This is a beautifully cooked fish—very tender and succulent, practically falling apart in the mouth. What really stands about Rasika’s dish, though, is how the restaurant takes such a simple fish and turns it into something so flavorful. Not only do you get some of the zest of the dill, but there’s a very nice hint of sweetness from the honey and star anise combo, perpetuating every bite. It’s very light, but still delicious, and I just wish there had been some more. 4.5/5.0.
2. Tawa Baingan (Eggplant, Spiced Potato, Olive Oil, Peanut Sauce): This is an incredible assortment of flavors, giving you spicy, nutty, and smoky all in a delicate mash that is slightly gritty but never muddy. The eggplant is a real knockout, as it’s been charred on the top to give it a nice crispness and smokiness, adding to both the texture and the flavor. The potato mixes nicely too, coming off as rather light, largely because the spice turns attention away from the starchiness. And that lightness continues with the seasoning, a nice mix of olive oil and peanuts, which never overpowers the dish in any way. 4.6/5.0+. Extremely complex and surprisingly balanced.
3. Dal Makhani (Lentils, Tomato, Garlic, Fenugreek): Another success in the makhani department, and here I think the lentils may work even better than the chicken. I’ve never been a huge fan of lentils, but here they’re very nicely cooked, with just a bit of hardness so that they never get mushy. The sauce itself seemed better than that my chicken makhani, too (probably just because I had it on another night). Here it was a bit fresher or herbier, as the garlic and fenugreek came through more strongly. 4.5/5.0
4. Malai Palak (Spinach, Garlic, Cumin, Ginger): A delicious take on spinach, keeping it simple but at the same adding just a bit of spice to the spinach to give it some more character. The dish itself is, more or less, a Spinach puree, and you really do taste the spinach, which comes through with a nice, slight bitterness. That bitterness, though, is moderated by the herbs, which add a light spicy-sweet flavor (i.e. from the cumin, ginger) and a nice zestiness that leaves the palate refreshed. Neither the herbs nor the spinach are overpowering, and it’s a very easy dish to savor, especially because the spinach is mashed so nicely, with a slight grittiness that reminds you of the ingredient but which never detracts from the extreme smoothness of the dish. 4.5/5.0
5. Chocolate Samosa: This is an inventive use of chocolate, but the dessert falls short of greatness. The main problem is in the samosa itself, which is flaky and buttery, but unsatisfyingly hard at times, breaking up the smoothness of the chocolate filling. Moreover, it has a very strong starchy/salty taste, at times overpowering the chocolate. That said, I really did like the quality of the chocolate, which tastes somewhat like a dark milk chocolate, never coming off as too sweet. It is, also, very nicely melted and served deliciously warm. 3.0/5.0

Ambience: 4.3/5.0 (particularly at this price range)
Service: 4.5/5.0. Depends on whom you ask, though.
Taste: 4.3/5.0. Make it a 4.5 if you avoid dessert.
Value: 4.0/5.0. Indian food is typically much cheaper, but you’ll typically never find it in such a nice restaurant with such good service.
Overall Score: 4.4/5.0