Ras Restaurant & Lounge Opens at 4809 Georgia Avenue, NW

by Prince Of Petworth August 31, 2010 at 11:00 am 33 Comments

“Dear PoP,

My partner and I headed to Georgia Ave in search of food. We were aiming for Moroni and Bros., but passed by the new RAS and noticed it was open. One of the proprietors came out to greet us and invite us in. She explained that it is an Ethiopian/Jamaican blend of menu items. There was a large party in the back – apparently friends and family – celebrating the opening. I think we were the only paying customers. Anyway, we ordered two light meals and the food was fantastic! Spicy chicken wings were nicely seasoned and not fatty at all, and the gouda grits were amazing. They offer three types of chicken wings and other miscellaneous dishes and sides. My partner ordered the Bake and Vegetables and loved it, especially the interesting bread. They specialize in “Bake and Shark” which the waitress said was fantastic, so I’ll try that next. And prices are great.

I’d like to note that the people were so gracious and welcoming. The chef visited our table, and the owners visited and offered us some “birthday cake.” All in all, I was very impressed and they appear to be fully open and ready for business. Another great addition to the neighborhood!”

Photos of inside and see the menu after the jump.

RAS Restaurant and Lounge

Breakfast Menu

Two Egg Omelet** 4.
Toast and Scrambled Eggs** 5.
Two Eggs with Hash Browns and Toast 8.
Roasted Tomato, Spinach & Spiced Goat Cheese Omelet 7.

Bake and Vegetables** 7.

Choose 3: Cabbage, Greens, Curried Chickpeas, Lentils, Spiced Lentils,
Roasted Eggplant & Beet Root

Bake and Shark** 8.

W/ Tomato
**Toppings: Roasted Peppers, Olives, Capers, Mango Chutney, Onion,
Cucumber, Cabbage, Garlic Sauce, Ginger Sauce, Cilantro Sauce, and
Sautéed Spinach.50 each

Pancakes

Plain 3.
Cherry Vanilla Spice 4.
Blueberry Strawberry 4.

Sides and ‘Tings

Turkey Sausage 2. Turkey Bacon 2. Hash Browns 2. Fruit Salad 5. Muffins
1.
Toast, Butter & Jam 1.5 Oatmeal & Berries 3. Yogurt & Berries 4. Gouda
Grits 3.
Herbed Carrot and Tomato Salad 5. Ginger & Garlic Tofu Salad 5.

Drinks

Coffee 1.5 & 2, Tea 1.5, Mint and Lemon Iced Tea 2, Fresh Orange Juice 3, Water 1.5,
Soda 2, Snapple 2, Perrier 2, Coconut Juice 3,
Milk 1.5, Chocolate Milk 1.5, Soy Milk 1.5

RAS Restaurant and Lounge

Dinner Menu

Vegetable Soup 4.

Bake and Vegetables** 7.

Choose 3: Cabbage, Greens, Curried Chickpeas, Lentils, Spiced Lentils, Roasted
Eggplant & Beet Root

Bake and Shark** 8.
W/ Tomato

**Toppings: Roasted Peppers, Olives, Capers, Mango Chutney, Onion, Cucumber,
Cabbage, Garlic Sauce, Ginger Sauce, Cilantro Sauce, and Sautéed Spinach.50 each

Injera
Kitfo 12.
Tibs 12.
Vegetables 10.

Choose 3: Cabbage, Greens, Lentils, Spiced Lentils & Beet Root

Curried Chicken 8.
RAS Jerk Chicken 8.

With rice and salad

Hamburger 5.
Steak & Cheese 6.
Chicken Wings 5.

Plain
Pepper
BBQ

Sides and ‘Tings

Fruit Salad 5. Yogurt & Berries 4. Fresh Salads Prepared daily 3.

Drinks

Coffee 1.5 & 2, Tea 1.5, Mint and Lemon Iced Tea 2, Fresh Orange Juice 3, Water 1.5, Soda 2, Snapple 2,
Perrier 2, Coconut Juice 3, Milk 1.5, Chocolate Milk 1.5, Soy Milk 1.5

Phillip

Interesting.. Ras roughly translated in Jamaican patois is “ass”. Not exactly a glowing compliment to bestow your food.
- Anonymous
  
  Ras in Amharic (ethiopian language) roughly translates as “Mr, lord, President, head of state, etc”
- another guy named chris
  
  +1
  
  BUT the Rastas also use it colloquially to mean “God” and given the Jamaican/Ethiopian theme I would think that’s what they are going for.
  
  However given the breadth of both fares of food I expect their offerings to be mediocre.
  
  This is the equivalent of a Tex-Mex Italian spot, or a KenTacoHut.
- Lknk Wryy
  
  It’s not Ras, but RAS, which stands for Royal Air Service. The owner was a long-time flight attendant for the aforementioned airline.
- thebrightwoodian
  
  And I always thought it stood for Real Authentic Sound.
- chef ilee
  
  To Anonymous,
  The origin of the word ‘Ras’, comes from Ethiopia. It means ‘The Head” or the top, hence these people decided to call their restaurant the ‘top restaurant’. If you want to stoop to a lower level, McDonalds is right up the street!
  U should travel more.
Native American JD

Bake and Shark? Seriously?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/07/28/rand.shark.soup.threat/index.html

So we have more then asians to blame. Now we can blame Jamaican/Ethiopians too?
- dcdude
  
  I don’t see how the two relate. Shark fin soup is objectionable because it usually involves slicing the fins off a live sark and throwing the shark back in the water. Bake and Shark uses the whole shark. I see no reason why shark populations, properly managed, cannot serve as a food source like any other fish.
  - victoria
    
    Because most species of sharks don’t reproduce frequently enough to sustain commercial harvesting and take much longer to reach sexual maturity than other fish.
    - Native American JD
      
      Thank you! Point set match.
      - PetworthRes
        
        Hmm. I wonder if it is really made with shark – I don’t think you can buy that here. I googled and found recipes saying to use tilapia or catfish, bot of which are pretty sustainable options (and I think commonly farm raised)
        http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shark-and-Bake-234799
- Petworther
  
  A look around the web suggests bake and shark (or shark and bake) usually consists of tilapia or catfish these days, owing to the scarcity of the black-tip shark (presumably due to the popularity of the dish bake and shark). I don’t know what RAS is serving under the name, but I’d be surprised if it were actually shark! Anyone tried it?
  - Girard Fairmont
    
    I had Shark and Bake in Trinidad years ago, vendors sold it on the beach. I think it was just any type of boneless white fish sandwich, what made it really amazing were the sauces they used to serve with it.
- George
  
  It’s farm raised shark, Jeff. Cool it.
- Chellbellz
  
  And over here we eat plenty of things that are offensive to the the people in other worlds. Shark Bake can be made with other fish too…and whats up with it being okay to kill a fish, but not a shark? I don’t get that.
Anonymous

An attractive restaurant on GA Ave? Who knew?
JohnGalt

i like Ethiopian. I love Jamaican. I don’t think I would like both served in the same place.
Neighbor

Although I may not love Ethiopian and Jamaican food, my husband and I plan to check out Ras to support neighborhood restaurants (especially non-chain restaurants!) and the redevelopment of this strip of Georgia Ave. Hopefully more will do the same.
hennessey

i know i’m old, but i like booth seats.
and coat racks.
looks like a cool place to me.
Bram

I passed this place last night around 9:00.

Looked like there were not any customers there, unfortunately.

I’ll definitely have to check it out.
StubsDC

The three restauarants on that strip (Fusion, Moroni & Bros and now RAS) should do a dine around or something one weekend to really stir up some interest in that block. We can become our own restaurant row!
- Anonymous
  
  “restaurant row”? is that a thing?
Lester

I was about to say the same thing as Stubs. Good suggestion. A barren strip of Georgia Ave. Now there is Ethiopian, Salvadoran, Indian, Mexican, brick oven pizza, and Jamaican in three establishments. That’s quite a combo. I spoke with the Ras owners. They are open, but they are waiting for a “grand opening” while they work out the kinks and get everything in place. So, a perfect time to visit. Have to agree, the nicest people. I know one of the waitresses. We were talking about the chef. She got a serious look on her face when I asked if the food was good. She said the chef is excellent. The food is so good. So, I’m interested to try it. There are still more storefronts on that block. Who knows what will move in there next! Ask the owner of Ras about the link between Jamaica and Ethiopia. An interesting story involving a king and a drought.
shari 4 mayor

I am picky about my Ethiopian food, but I must say- this was close (if not the) best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had.
- Anonymous
  
  what other places do you like?
anonymous

I’d really hope that before anyone made any comments about the place they go check it out. Living in the area, I am so glad there are people trying to do something with this place, especially since the food is delicious, the service top notch and the owner a dear friend. I’ve seen these streets change so much, and sadly there’s still so much of this immature and childish ignorance left to deal with. let us support our brothers and sisters in their endeavors, not bring them down with our egos.
ABsPetworth

RAS had excellent food. I had the Bake and Shark and my boyfriend had the Curry Chicken with Bake. The Bake and Shark was so fresh and delicious, it took my taste buds back to Trinidad. I would highly recommend this entree. The curry was good as well.
hill

good
MC

I tried RAS this past weekend thanks to the recs above, and I must add another thumbs-up. The service is still working out kinks and is a bit slow, but the food is phenomenal. Met the owner and he was wonderful, really looking to get some people in the door. Come out and support!!
Foodie

We also went to try it with a lot of doubt over Ethiopian and Jamacian-but the food was really good. Not greasy, excellent flavor. Even the greens were good. Folks should definitely try the place. The service is still slow, but super friendly and the diet coke wasn’t set correctly, so it was a bit flat. The excellent food made up for all of it though.
Alston32Rowena

Every one admits that life is not cheap, but people require cash for different things and not every man gets big sums money. Thence to get fast loan or college loan will be good solution.
Anonymous

PEACE
I noticed the sign for RAS a few weeks ago while heading up Georgia Ave to the park for tennis andmade a mental note to stop back past soon. Last Friday, I abandoned the homemade salad warming in my passanger seat and headed over for lunch. I am I-TAL vegan vegetarian and The Lovely Server assured me that the Bake and Veggies we’re a safe option. The bake was moist and flufffy with a little crisp on the edges without being greasy. It was, without a doubt, the best bake I’ve ever eaten. The cabbage wasn’t mushy and was nicely spiced alongside sauteed carrots. The roasted eggplant was smoky and full of garlic; perfect for dipping hunks of bake. I chose the curry chickpeas as my third side. The chef was liberal with the salt, but they were firm and garnished with onions in an otherwise delicious, rich sauce. I can not emphasize enough how gracious the staff was. Somehow, I was not even offended when The Lovely Server opened my to-go box -presumably to get my approval of its contents before I paid- and sniffed the eggplant, which she exclaimed was ‘excellent!’
When I left work hours later, I considered heading back for a trple order of Bake…maybe tomorrow.
WaxTransparenrt

PEACE
I noticed the sign for RAS a few weeks ago while heading up Georgia Ave to the park for tennis and made a mental note to stop back past soon. Last Friday, I abandoned the homemade salad warming in my passanger seat and headed over for lunch. I am I-TAL vegan vegetarian and The Lovely Server assured me that the Bake and Veggies we’re a safe option. The bake was moist and flufffy with a little crisp on the edges without being greasy. It was, without a doubt, the best bake I’ve ever eaten. The cabbage wasn’t mushy and was nicely spiced alongside sauteed carrots. The roasted eggplant was smoky and full of garlic; perfect for dipping hunks of bake. I chose the curry chickpeas as my third side. The chef was liberal with the salt, but they were firm and garnished with onions in an otherwise delicious, rich sauce. I can not emphasize enough how gracious the staff was. Somehow, I was not even offended when The Lovely Server opened my to-go box -presumably to get my approval of its contents before I paid- and sniffed the eggplant, which she exclaimed was ‘excellent!’
When I left work hours later, I considered heading back for a trple order of Bake…maybe tomorrow.

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