Home Plate

by David Hagedorn

RASA Dazzle

It is said that entering the restaurant business is so challenging, it has to be in your blood. If that’s true, lifelong besties Sahil Rahman and Rahul Vinod, who opened a third location of their Indian fast-casual concept, RASA, in National Landing in July, have an advantage. Their fathers, Surfy Rahman and chef K.N. Vinod, who own Bombay Bistro in Rockville and Indique in D.C., have been running restaurants for 30 years.

Growing up blocks away from each other, the younger Rahman and Vinod both earned business degrees from the University of Maryland and entered the corporate world in banking and consulting, only to eschew that path and pursue a dream that began in high school— to introduce Indian cuisine in an accessible way to unfamiliar diners. With their fathers as mentors, the young entrepreneurs opened their first RASA in 2017. (The name is a triple play on words: It means taste or essence in Sanskrit; references the nine rasas, or emotions, in literature and dramatic arts; and combines the first two letters of each of their names, RAhul and SAhil.)

RASA follows a familiar fast-casual model. Order a combination bowl or customize your own by choosing a base (such as basmati rice, spinach or rice noodles); a main (say, chicken tikka, turmeric-ginger shrimp or mixed vegetables); a sauce (tamarind chili or peanut sesame); a vegetable selection (try charred eggplant or chickpeas); and four toppings, among them masala beets, carrot slaw, lentil chips and pickled radishes.

Cleverly named preset bowls ($10.55 to $12.50) pop with flavor and include creations such as Tikka Chance on Me (chicken tikka, tomatogarlic sauce, sauteed spinach, rice, mint-cilantro chutney) and Caul Me Maybe (tofu, cauliflowe, beets, spinach, cucumbers, peanut-sesame sauce, pumpkin seeds).

The menu also features snacks like mini samosas and chutneys with chips. Don’t pass up the vegan soft serve for dessert—especially if the flavors du jour include mango or masala chai. From the cocktail list, try a cardamom mint julep or a masala gin and tonic.

The colorful, modern, 1,550- square-foot space seats 24 inside (including two hanging chairs) and 10 outside, with retractable glass garage doors that open fully in nice weather. Designed, in part, by Rahman’s aunt Nandita Madan, the walls are dotted with works by various South Indian authors and artists, and trinkets from the owners’ travels. “We mean to pay homage to our Indian culture,” Rahman says, “and add whimsy and joy.” rasagrill.com

Mah-Ze-Dahrvelous

Craving fresh-baked pastries but don’t want to make them from scratch? Stop by Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery and stock up on frozen, ready-to-bake croissants ($60 for 12) and brioche cinnamon rolls ($30 for 4) to enjoy their intoxicating aroma at home. They also make terrific gifts for holiday hosts

Borrowing its name from an Urdu expression for that special something that makes a dish delicious, Mah-ZeDahr opened its National Landing location in June. A sampling of the goodies—including fudgy brownies, cream-filledbrioche doughnuts, silken cheesecake and vegetable focaccia— suggests that founder/baker Umber Ahmad has figured out just what that special something is.

Raised in Michigan, Ahmad has impressive bona fides: a genetics degree (MIT); a master’s degree in public health (University of Michigan); and an MBA (Wharton). After embarking on a career as an investment banker and creating her own hospitality consulting firm, she turned her childhood passion for baking—inspired by her Pakistani family’s Finnish nanny—into a growing empire. The kicker was when celebrity chef Tom Colicchio tasted one of her cakes and decided to back the first Mah-Ze-Dahr baker, which opened in Manhattan in 2016. “I went from advising people on building global heritage food brands to building one of my own,” says Ahmad, who last year partnered with KNEAD Hospitality + Design (Mi Vida, Succotash) to expand her brand to three D.C. area locations.

Spanning 3,000 square feet, the Arlington bakery will serve as a test kitchen for new products (look for a line of eclairs in the future, plus more savory offerings) and a commissary kitchen for smaller imprints. Other holiday gift ideas include a browniemaking kit ($30), a curated collection of treats called Heaven in a Box ($65) and—rolling out for the first time thi year—a chocolate Advent calendar and chocolate gelt. mahzedahrbakery.com

ORDER THIS now

Bún bò hué

at Lantern House Viet Bistro

Brother and sister Khao and Annie Tran opened Lantern House Viet Bistro in Falls Church in May, continuing a family tradition that spans two generations. Their grandparents, and then their parents, operated a pho shop in The Little City for years. As cold weather sets in, Annie Tran’s rendition of the classic noodle soup ($13.85) is a winner. Her beef broth, scented with star anise, ginger and lemongrass, is packed with thick rice noodles, sliced brisket, beef tendon and shank, plus cubes of coagulated pork blood (a Vietnamese delicacy), sliced ham and green onions. Customize the enormous bowl to your liking with fresh herbs, shredded cabbage, squeezes of lime, and condiments such as chili sauce, homemade chili-lemongrass paste, and pickled garlic and jalapeños. lanternhouseva.com