In India, rangoli are painted murals that convey a warm welcome to guests. This nine-month-old Loudoun restaurant has taken the tradition as its name and its decorative theme—the jewel-toned shantung prints are everywhere. From the moment the smiling maître d’ ushers you into one of the wavy orange booths, you feel pampered. At a place where most appetizers are $4 or less, it’s a nice surprise.
The care extends to the food, which servers spoon from artful dishes and copper pots. Chef Kannan Padmanbam has assembled a greatest-hits collection of dishes from all over India. From the south come the lentil doughnuts known as medhu-vada, strongly spiced vegetarian stews (look for the palak paneer and the aloo gobhi), peppery chicken chettinad, and long dosas filled with spicy potatoes.
Chaat papri, a northern Indian staple, is a mix of flour crisps, chickpeas, and potatoes smothered in tamarind and green-chili chutneys and yogurt. Kati rolls—shreds of carrots and cabbage and tandoori chicken wrapped in a roti—are a popular street snack across India. Here they’re billed as a starter, but they make a good lunch on their own.
Ambitious and affordable cooking is seldom found in such attractive surroundings.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
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.
