100 Best Restaurants 2009: Passage to India

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 38: Passage to India

Passage to India

4931 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, MD
Phone: 301-656-3373

Cuisines:
Indian, Vegetarian/Vegan

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Bethesda

Price Range:
Moderate

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Intimate

Reservations:
Recommended

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Price Details:
Entrees, $10.95 to $23.95.


 

Reader's Rating:
2.5 out of 5

Cuisine: Owner/chef Sudhir Seth’s careful approach to regional Indian cooking—the menu covers a wide swath of the subcontinent—translates into refined plates that are light and complex.

Mood: Intricately painted and carved doors hung as wall art reinforce the “passage” motif in the serene dining room.

Best for: A lingering night out; lunch or dinner that ventures far beyond tandoor and palak paneer.

Best dishes: Sev-murmura chaat, a pileup of puffed rice, tamarind, cilantro, and dates; masala-spiced mounds of lump crab; warqi pudina paratha, a mint-flecked whole-wheat flatbread; Parsi-style lamb stew with apricots and straw potatoes; curry of okra and onions with mango powder; shrimp stew with cloves, ginger, and cinnamon; the area’s best Indian pickle plate.

Insider tips: Servers may look formal, but engage them and they’ll help put together a meal so you avoid the trap of many first-timers: too many similar-tasting dishes.

Service: ••

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Moderate.

See all of 2009's 100 Best Restaurants

Reader ReviewsWrite your own review
 
Good Chicken Tikka Masala
go2maui — November 10, 2009 5:15 AM
This is the best chicken tikka masala I have eaten in the world, including Australia, Fiji and San Francisco! And the price is very reasonable if you come during lunch time.
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Terrible Surely not one of the best!!!
Gavin1 — May 24, 2009 5:43 AM
Stay away - lipstick on a pig - they have tried to seduce unknowing locals by creating nice decor.

Otherwise, the food is very average, the peas were still frozen in the rice, the bread dough was undercooked, huuuuuuuuugely overpriced for very More ...
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