3309 Connecticut Avenue, NW
From Bindaas:
“Opening Date: August 10, 2016
Hours of Operation: Dining Hours: Sunday, from 11 AM to 9 PM; Monday through Wednesday, from 5 PM to 10 PM, Thursday and Friday, 5 PM to 10:45 PM and Saturday, from 11 AM to 10:45 PM.
Bar Hours: Sunday, from 11 AM to 10 PM; Monday through Wednesday, from 5 PM to 11 PM; Thursday and Friday, from 5 PM to 11:30 PM and Saturday, from 11 AM to 11:30 PM.
Owner: Ashok Bajaj
Group Executive Chef: Vikram Sunderam
Menu Description: Guests can anticipate savory snacks, kebabs, with vegetarian options as well as pork, fish, chicken and beef street food dishes that are easy on the wallet. Standout dishes include: Pathar Gosht, a lamb kebab cooked on a stone oven served over a bed of saffron rice with saffron and cashews, Uttapam, a fermented rice pancake with lentils and shrimp pepper; Bhel Puri, a Bombay seaside snack with raw mangoes, lentils, puffed rice which is sweet and savory, and a wrap, the Kati Roll with Goan Pork.
Wine List: Bindaas offers an international wine list with 60 wines by the bottle and 18 wines by the glass. A variety of Indian beers and whiskey selections will also be available, along with four signature cocktails and two mocktails reflecting the spirits and spices of India.
Capacity: 35 seats in the main dining room and nine seats at the bar. One can also book a reception in the upstairs dining room, which can accommodate up to 40 guests seated. A rooftop patio is also available from April to October (weather permitting), and can accommodate 20 guests seated.
Interior Design: James Beard Foundation’s award-nominated restaurant designer Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York is the designer of record for Bindaas. The new interior incorporates new flooring, acoustical tiles, new furnishings and a new art installation mural of street food vendors along with graffiti one would find in India.
According to Martin Vahtra, Bindaas was created as a nod toward Indian street food and culture. The open kitchen has been transformed into a test kitchen for the chefs to create and delight customers with Indian everyday “delicacies” often unavailable in the US and cherished in Indian. Street food in particular does not always mean sitting down for a three-course meal but rather ordering many small dishes, a table full of food ideal for sharing. Casual dinners can be memorable especially when transported to a different country and culture. Food markets give one the smells, flavors and foods of a new place. They offer more authentic experiences than the tourist versions of local dishes in many restaurants. This is the intent of the open kitchen at Bindaas.
The first thing guests notice when they enter Bindaas is the “Indian silk teal” color on the exterior. It is designed with a warm and rich wood wall of rustic reclaimed beams, influenced by Indian screens and shutters. As one turns the corner, they are faced with a custom mural on the feature wall in the restaurant. This piece of art represents Indian graffiti and street life. Furthermore, the restaurant’s new fabrics and paint colors add a punch of jewel tone color to the space. To create soft mood lighting, new custom pendants are being added that are created from baskets, as a nod to the food markets of India. New bar top lights have been installed to create intimacy for the diner at the bar. The back bar has been redesigned with new display shelves to present an exciting layout and distinguish the new restaurant from its sister restaurant next door. The overall outcome is a new contemporary interior that evokes elements of Indian culture without being cliché.”
Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)
