On Saturday, I went to Rasika with a few friends of mine. It's a relatively new Indian restaurant near the Verizon Center. I had read about this restaurant in the Washington Post as well as on DC Foodies. I was intrigued by what I read and decided it was worth a try. You have to remember, that I live 5 minutes away from the best Indian restuarant in DC, Heritage India. So, it has to be pretty special for me to go to another Indian restuarant.

When you first walk into Rasika, you are impressed by it's decor and atmosphere. I had made reservations, so we were seated pretty quickly. One funny thing happened here, I started looking at the menu right away and forgot to put my napkin on my lap. Our waiter then took my napkin and placed it on my lap. I had never had that happen before, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

The menu was interesting. They had a whole section for chaat which is typically under the appetizers section. They also had Ragda Patties as an appetizer which I have never seen before. My mom used to make these for me all the time. They are spicy potato patties which are delicious.

They had familiar favorites for entrees, including my favorite, Palak Makai, spinach with corn. This is my favorite dish at Heritage India. At Rasika they use baby corn, whereas at Heritage they use regular corn. I have to say, I prefer Heritages Palak Makai because there is more flavor and it's a bit more spicy than Rasika's. Though, at Rasika, I failed to tell the waiter that I would like it a little bit spicy.

Riki order her favorite dish, Paneer Makhani. She thought it was fabolous, as good as Heritage India which is still her favorite. The rest of us tried the dish and thought the sauce was amazing. The Paneer (cheese) was all right, but the sauce really made the dish.

The boys had a lamb dish which they both thought was good, but doesn't make them want to come back and have it again.

Overall, Rasika is a good restaurant with a great atmosphere and good food. If you don't live near Heritage India on Wisconsin, I would recommend you to try it out.

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