Raaga, Falls Church, VA

5872 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041

(703) 998-7000

If we had not gotten the Groupon, we would have not found out about this superb Indian restaurant.  It is not a new establishment to the Bailey’s Crossroads area, but it was a new discovery for us.  We went at lunchtime on a Sunday, which was a great opportunity to savor not only the great dishes on the menu, but also the terrific selection of dishes at the lunch buffet.  A bargain at all-you-can-eat $11.95 per person, they are particular about serving lamb dishes at the buffet on Saturdays and chicken and fish on Sundays.  This worked out perfect for us.

As this was our first time there, we went all out.  We ordered from the menu AND partook in the buffet experience.  Needless to say it was more food than we could handle, so we took much of our entrees “leftovers” home.  Our entrees were Chicken Tikka and Chicken Biryani.  Both were superb.  Just the right amount of spices, slightly different from what we were used to, but in a really good way. Not sure what made them different, but why ask why when you can just eat?!?

Unlike most other Indian restaurant buffets, the dishes presented here were flavorful, but not overbearing, and diverse, though manageable.  The salmon was to die for and several kinds of chicken were wonderful.  The several vegetarian dishes complemented everything perfectly and, again, spices were a little different, but in a really good way.  This is definitely a buffet worth the drive to Bailey’s Crossroads.  Service was also terrific.  Efficient and nice.  Though the décor was modest, Raaga presents a light, easy atmosphere with its white columns and big windows that allow plentiful sunlight.  There was a small baby-birthday party in the back of the dining hall, which was cheerful and private.

Raaga is a gem of dining experiences and those who enjoy Indian food will not be disappointed.  We will be returning.

Bombay Tandoor

8603 Westwood Center Drive, 

Vienna, VA 22182

phone (703) 734-2202

 

Don’t be fooled by the unassuming exterior of this strip mall corner eatery next to Paisano’s Pizza.  Bombay Tandoor is a treat in so many ways.  The outstanding staff, including the waiters and manager, is definitely an asset.  They were welcoming and upbeat, with friendly, plentiful and attentive service.  The wait staff was clearly trained and knowledgeable, multi tasking and hustling around, looking like they really like working there.   Our dinner was great, but the employees of the restaurant made it even better.  

Décor and furnishings are very Bombay Company style, beautifully accented with large portraits of who are probably Indian Panjabi elders.  High ceilings gave the restaurant the feeling of spaciousness.  The restaurant looked very clean and the atmosphere was warm and gracious. By 8:30pm, most of the tables were full.  

The food is what really deserves the focus.   While we were looking over the rather extensive menu, featuring a variety of dishes likely to please most pallets, the waiter brought us some salty crispy wafers (they are probably called something else) and two kinds of sauces.  Our appetizers – Paneer Shashlyk (a rather spicy fried cheese) and  Chicken Tikka Mint (mildly spiced grilled chicken cubes with grilled onions) – were a perfect mixture of flavor, texture and presentation.  We got a plain Naan to accompany our entrees, which were Chicken Biryani and Chicken Kadhai.  We also ordered a side of Mixed Masala Kachumber salad for $4, which was just as tasty as the entrees and complemented the meal perfectly.  It consisted of lettuce, onions, cucumber, tomato and a wonderful white creamy dressing.  The Chicken Biryani, which came with a side of raita (yogurt sauce), was excellent and probably a bit spicy for a standard Biryani, so if you are going to order it, keep this in mind.  The other entrée, Chicken Kandhai, was presented in a small pot over a tea candle with some green peppers and a delicious gravy, along with plentiful Basmati rice.  This was a lot of food, so we ended up bringing some of it home, no room for dessert.  All for under $60!

But the real unexpected surprise on this Saturday night was the banquet.  The restaurant sectioned off the larger part of the space for what turned out to be a wonderfully cheerful and colorful Sikh engagement party.  Party guests in colorful saris, young and old, began gathering around 7:00 for a party that began around 8:00.  We got to see the beginning of the festivities, together with some dancing and music.  This was an added bonus to the dinner experience.  Amazingly, the manager did not shoo us away when we asked if we could stick around to watch.  

We will definitely be recommending this place to friends and returning here. 

Café Taj, McLean VA

1379 Beverly Rd. (off Old Dominion Dr. in the Marketplace)

McLean, VA 22101
(703) 827-0444

Café Taj is a low-key (though not divey) restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and tasty Indian dishes.   We were seated across from the entry door, which was a little drafty on a cold night, but it ended up being fine.   There was a party of about 14 people next to us, and all the other tables were also filled.  Although the wait staff seemed like they were new and the service was very slow, they couldn’t have been more pleasant and nice.   The meal was very good.  We tried looking up the restaurant’s menu to remember the exact names of the dishes we had, but the website was down on the night we wrote this blog.   

All in all, we enjoyed our meal.  We had several appetizers - a fried (or smoked?) cheese, skewers of meats and fried potato patties.  All were served with flavorful sauces, although the chutney was a bit too sweet and the yogurt sauce had some strange seed (caraway?).  Bill had a big salad (also with cheese) as an entrée and Elena had a chicken curry dish.  Both were very good.  This is probably not the best Indian food in the area (compared, for example, to Haandi), but it was definitely very good.