By George Mahe
Photograph by Katherine Bish
In an era when rapid expansion often kills a promising restaurant concept, Harinder Singh has wisely gone the other direction, throttling down from seven restaurants to a single, dramatic, re-created one: Rasoi. In doing so, he addressed several simple (but nearly universal) issues that plague other local Indian restaurants: uninspired drabness and what to do with that unsightly shackle—the lunch buffet area—at night. This new Rasoi screams tastefully in all the colors of a Bombay bazaar, clear up to the eggplant-toned ceiling, while the buffet is neatly tucked away in a corner, allowing diners to fully appreciate immense, glass-tiled pillars and whimsical pumpkin lamps. The traditional Indian fare hails from all four compass points, but leans toward the not-as-spicy north, with surprises such as a tandoori-spiced New York strip, Bollywood poppers (shrimp-stuffed Anaheim peppers) and an Indian-inspired martini list—possible enticements for the young and uninitiated. Then Singh nails it with another first for local Indian restaurants: outside dining for 150.
25 N. Euclid, 314-361-6911, rasoi.com. Hours: 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Mon–Sun, 5–10 p.m. Mon–Thu, 5–10:30 p.m. Fri–Sat, 5–9 p.m. Sun.
