Cuisine: Opulent Indian. The curries are lush, the flatbreads are hot and flaky, and dishes seldom seen at quick-serve joints that gloss over the subtlety and variety of this complex cooking find their way into the mix.
Mood: With carved wooden screens, British Colonial furnishings, and vintage sepia photos of Indian princes, the main dining room channels the days of the Raj.
Best for: A communal meal with a group, the better to order widely and experience the myriad styles of Indian cooking; a romantic dinner; a vegetarian meal full of conviction.
Best dishes: Bhel puri, an Indian-style salad with puffed rice, chickpea vermicelli, cilantro, shallots, and sweet-and-sour chutney; eggplant in a velvety sesame-cashew sauce; black lentils elevated to star status with cream and butter; yakhani gosht, a Kashmiri lamb stew with yogurt and saffron; prawns in green-pepper sauce; a ginger-shot sag paneer, the classic cheese-and-spinach dish; first-rate flatbreads.
Insider tips: While service is friendlier than in the past, the restaurant sometimes seems short-staffed, a situation that’s underscored when it’s crowded. Ask for a table in the dining room overlooking Wisconsin Avenue, preferably by the window.
Service: •½
Open daily for lunch and dinner. Moderate.
See all of 2010's 100 Best Restaurants
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
