Punjab Grill, Chef Jaspratap Bindra's Modern Indian in a Luxurious Setting, 11th and E Street, Penn Quarter

[Ericandblueboy]

 

Quote

Punjab Grill welcomes its guests to experience the region’s legendary and unrivaled hospitality, offered generously to every visitor, and borne out of a love of bringing people together to enjoy time-honored traditions of refined diversion. 

Recipes handed down from generations of khansaamas [royal chefs] and steeped in the flavors of history, expertly coordinated cocktails and an abundance of spectacular wines can be savored amidst our sumptuous decor, in an edifice which has been recreated by hand in the high sensual style of the fin de siècle Maharajas, who were dedicated patrons of the arts and fine craftsmanship.  And who treated dining, and most everything else, as an art form

I'm intrigued.  I would like to organize a small group dinner here in the near future (6-8 people).  Let me know if you're interested.  

[DonRocks]

12 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I'm intrigued.  I would like to organize a small group dinner here in the near future (6-8 people).  Let me know if you're interested.  

Other than Woodlands, this is the only Indian-Indian restaurant in the DC area, and (very much unlike Woodlands) it looks like they spared little expense in making the atmosphere akin to a royal banquet. I suppose Chef Bindra is here from India; if so, I wonder how long he'll stay in DC.

[funkyfood]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Other than Woodlands, this is the only Indian-Indian restaurant in the DC area, and (very much unlike Woodlands) it looks like they spared little expense in making the atmosphere akin to a royal banquet. I suppose Chef Bindra is here from India; if so, I wonder how long he'll stay in DC.

What does "Indian-Indian" mean?

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, funkyfood said:

What does "Indian-Indian" mean?

An India-based restaurant group serving Indian cuisine.

[ktmoomau]

20 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I'm intrigued.  I would like to organize a small group dinner here in the near future (6-8 people).  Let me know if you're interested.  

Interested.

[TheMatt]

I'm interested, though it'd depend on the date as to whether I could go.

[Ericandblueboy]

Would a Friday evening at 6 p.m. work?  Steve and I usually meet somewhere around 5 for drinks before dinner on Fridays.  

[ktmoomau]

Would work for me.

[Ericandblueboy]

4 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

Would work for me.

Just you or you and hubby?

[ktmoomau]

1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

Just you or you and hubby?

Probably just me, but I will double check.

[jca76]

four of us had dinner last night at punjab grill.  service wasn't great, but the service kinks seem like the newly opened kind that hopefully will be worked out.  dinner came out to around $90/person, which was definitely expensive but not quite as brutal as i'd feared from a maharaja-inspired restaurant that offers "market price" caviar and truffle supplements.  while we agreed that the food is more interesting than rasika's and most of it quite good,  the overall experience wasn't one that will have any of us rushing back.  i'm guessing this place will live or die based on the amount of expense account business it draws.

the first dish that i tried was the adraki tuna tartare (sago crisps), which was . . . adequate, at best.  a small cylinder of ring-molded fish atop under-seasoned, possibly underripe avocado, with one crisp on top (which i didn't try, because only one).  no distinguishing flavors stood out.  (my internal monologue is concerned that i'm about to sit through an entire disappointing dinner.)  luckily, the chana masala “hummus” (amritsari kulcha, radish achar) was much better, albeit quite small: a quenelle of spiced, creamy dip was accompanied by an airy round of kulcha that was no more than four inches in diameter, with a nice pop of acid from the pickled radishes.  (luckily the four of us are all pretty close friends, as we tore apart the little disk with our fingers so that everyone got a bit.)  our carnivorous friends got a meaty small plate that they seemed to really like, but i have no recollection of what it was.

the rest of our food came out basically all at once, crowding the table.  the tandoori tiger prawns (moilee sauce, curry leaf, tomato jam) came two medium-sized prawns to an order (heads on, but surprisingly dry inside -- nothing to suck out).  i like tandoori seasoning and the prawns weren't overcooked, so i enjoyed my half-prawn bite, but be warned that this is another small one.  in contrast, the malai broccoli (amul cheese fondue, spiced churma) was basically an entire head of broccoli.  childhood favorite broccoli with cheese sauce grew up and studied abroad: char on the brassica, the richly cheesy sauce given texture by the breadcrumb-like churma, all with a spicy kick.  probably my favorite dish of the night, for nostalgic deliciousness.  i've read for ages that jackfruit is a serviceable vegetarian substitution, but i'm not sure that i'd ever had it before the kathal kofta (jackfruit dumpling, lebabdar sauce, cilantro cress).  the dumpling did have a satisfyingly dense (but not too dense, just enough to be meat-adjacent) texture, and i was sad to realize that the bowl of delicious brown sauce was cleared before i got at it with my naan.  (with only four chocolate truffle-sized dumplings in the order, the ratio of sauce to dumpling had to anticipate side carbs, but with table space at a premium, the busboys were quick to clear even the not-quite-empty plates, so i see why this one got away.)  at our server's urging, we ordered the burani palak paneer (spinach, tandoori cottage cheese, olive tapenade, garlic), which he assured us was different than the palak paneer with which we would be familiar.  a pre-sliced (mostly -- the very bottom wasn't cut through, presumably to keep the slices together) block of paneer sat in a pureed green pool, a bit deeper and more cooked-down in flavor than i'm used to from palak.  i appreciated the starring cheese; i'm that person who is constantly wondering how many cubes she can dig out of the shared dish of palak paneer before friends get annoyed.  the mushroom khichdi (morels, exotic achari mushrooms, yogurt, lentil) felt more southern than indian, weirdly enough; a friend pointed out that the lentils almost had the texture of grits.  along with the broccoli, this was the dish that i just kept eating: roasty mushrooms and starch are addictive in any cuisine.  (i swear the lentils tasted cheesy, but i'm not sure whether that's the grits association playing tricks.)  given how i usually make a meal out of rasika's sides, the baigan bharta (charred eggplant, desi ghee) and the brussels sprouts thoran (fresh coconut, mustard seed, curry leaf) were both a bit disappointing.  the eggplant was a one-note mush of very cooked eggplant.  the brussels sprouts were much better, the shaved sprouts warm but otherwise almost raw.  the almost-salad was a light counterpoint to the rest of the tablescape, though.  naan (both garlic and sundreid tomato, olive & basil) tasted nicely of its respective toppings, although the bread was a bit more crisp and less fluffy than i'd probably prefer (personal preference, not a flaw).  a side of the raita never made it to the table (which i did not realize until just now, as i am looking over the menu to recall everything that we ordered).  

the cocktails we tried ranged from pretty to very good; we all tried each other's.  my first drink, the chaiwala (masala chai infused scotch, spiced cordial, lemon, ginger) was probably my favorite, a classic-ish, penicillin-adjacent cocktail.  a friend seemed happy with her king alphonso (gosling’s dark rum, mango, pomegranate, lemongrass, mint), although such fruit-forward drinks tend not to be my favorite (unless i'm on a tropical vacation and the setting calls for it).  in retrospect, i'm fairly sure my order of the kasauli 1820 (rittenhouse rye, saffron & spiced sugar, orange, smoke) was mixed up with a friend's order of the akbari (old monk rum, dry vermouth, ginger, cloves, aromatic bitters), as his smelled of smoke and mine didn't.  (not sure what it says about our palates or the drinks that we couldn't be sure from the other flavors, but his drink was half gone by the time mine arrived.)  both were enjoyable, although the one i drank (so probably the akbari) was a tad on the sweet side.  (and i think that sweetness is what confused me as to which drink i got, as "saffron & spiced sugar" sounded likely to make a sweeter drink.)  the bf's rikki-tikki-tavi (pyrat xo rum, tullamore dew whiskey, pineapple, coconut, egg white, cardamom keora water) was described as a not-too-sweet take on a pina colada, which was a pretty good description (served up but with a frothy head), although the drink could have used acid (maybe some lime) to add another note.  the gt&t (mango, ginger, lemongrass & cardamom infused gin, house-made turmeric tonic) was also a bit flat and could have used acid; i think the addition of all the other flavors (especially the turmeric in the vivid orange tonic) muted the brightness that i associate with a more classic g&t. 

we were seated in a little side room across from the bar, which was quite loud (although possibly less so than the main room); they seem to be going for a scene-y atmosphere with the music.  service was surprisingly slow.  everyone was perfectly nice when they did come by, but there were lots of noticeable lags throughout the night.  i arrived earlier than the rest of my party and was immediately seated, which i appreciated, but no one asked whether i wanted a drink while i waited, which i did.  two of my friends joined about ten minutes later, and we only managed to order cocktails after awkwardly calling back a somm (i'm assuming -- he stopped by to draw our attention to the wine list but walked away before asking if we wanted anything).  even more awkwardly, i went to a bathroom in the back of the room where we were seated only to discover after i had a handful of soap that the sink wasn't working!  (there was an out-of-order sign on a second bathroom, but the one i entered had no indication.)  when i asked someone where there was another bathroom, explaining that the water wasn't working in the one, the guy's initial response was something to the effect of "yes, those aren't working, wasn't it locked?," which put me on the defensive.  i was led through the main dining room to another set of bathrooms, feeling very uncomfortable the entire time as i avoided touching anything or dripping soap.  ugh. 

[cheezepowder]

Food and Wine also covered the (then upcoming) opening of Punjab Grill.

[Ericandblueboy]

@jca76 thanks for the detailed review.  In your opinion, is 4 people a good number of people to try this place out?  Sounds like the portions aren’t conducive to a larger group?

[jca76]

four people was a good size given that a number of the dishes were too small to be shared with a larger group, and we did get to try a number of things.  however, if you wanted to do a larger group, i'm sure a server could advise on the dishes for which you'd need to order more than one.  many of the larger plates (like the broccoli) would be fine to share with a few more people.

[Ericandblueboy]

Four of us met on a Friday evening at the very posh restaurant.  I was hoping for some serene dining, maybe some classic sitar music but it was actually quite sceney and loud.

1. Chutney flight - six chutneys, poppadum, dosa crisps, naan grissini.  I liked it but nothing amazing.

2.  Aloo tikki chaat - crispy potato cake, brussels sprouts & kale, raspberry chutney, yogurt mousse.  The McDonald's hashbrown-like potato cake is covered by the fried greens, and very delicious.  

3.  Tandoori phool  - cauliflower, aloo shimla mirch, mint chutney.  We all admired the texture of the perfectly cooked cauliflower (not crunchy from being undercooked and not mushy from being overcooked).  Nice seasoning as well.

4.  Gucchhi galouti  - ghee smoked morel & cremini pate, bakarkhani.  I don't know what bakarkhani means but this is mushroom pate served in a pastry shell.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

5.  Burani palak paneer - spinach, tandoori cottage cheese, olive tapenade, garlic.  One big hunk of cheese and I really didn't detect the olive or garlic.  The flavor is a bit one note.

6.  Brussels sprouts thoran  - fresh coconut, mustard seed, curry leaf.  A refreshing salad.

7.  Rarha lamb  - elysian farm lamb shank & mincemeat curry, cilantro, green chilli, ginger, garlic.  The lamb itself is rather bland, but the ragu is properly seasoned.  So if you eat the meat and the ragu in one bite, you'd be alright.

8.  Malai broccoli - amul cheese fondue, spiced churma.  I think the broccoli is slightly overcooked compared to the cauliflower.  Nor is the seasoning as appetizing.

9.  Malabar machhi - chilean sea bass, jaggery cumin glaze, brussels sprouts thoran, kokum coconut sauce.  Not sure about the source of the fish but it's absolutely delicious.  I think I order chilean sea bass less than once a year so I'm not feeling too guilty.

Bold = great dish.   We also ordered a bunch of fairly average naans.

[ktmoomau]

I went with Eric, and I left really having enjoyed a few items, but I am just not sure I see the big price justification over some of the pretty nice places for Indian in Fairfax county.  I didn't think the menu was that more punjabi than other places.  I liked the texture of the paneer, it seemed grilled. I thought the fish was very good.   I really was impressed with the cooking of the cauliflower head as a whole.  The chaat was good.  The breads weren't any better than others you get, and the lemon and sundried tomato oils really I thought distracted instead of adding to the bread, I didn't like those flavors.  It wasn't bad at all.  I just don't know that I would go back and pay that much more for Indian food...

[vsrnlr]

Ate there a few weeks ago and all the comments about the decor are right on, a lot of expense went into it making it look authentic. The service was attentive and the food good, although we felt Rasika is a little better. The only failing is that they rushed out dishes before others were finished crowding the table to the point dishes were hanging over the edge. We had one of the booths in the back which are nice except the size of the table couldn't handle all the dishes.

[sandynva]

We had a really good dinner there a few weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was, and in particular by highly spiced it all was. It's not hotter than most local indian food, but it's like where most chefs would use 1tsp of cumin, this one uses 2, so the flavor of the spices, particularly the cardamom, is distinctly stronger. I was also pleasantly surprised by the price. From the articles and reviews i thought it would be more expensive than it was--our meal was only slightly more expensive than ours at rasika for example.The goat cheese kulcha was so good, i wish we'd gotten another one. the cauliflower dish was great--the texture was perfect (how do they get the stems and core so well cooked without the florets getting mushy?) it was coated with chaat-like spices and served on a very tasty mash of what seemed to be potatoes and cauliflower, with a great green chutney. We also really liked the mushroom pate (how do you make mushrooms that smooth?) though we didn't think the bread it was served on added much. Biryani was great too. even the raitas we had were excellent, though the beet/coconut one was almost like a dessert for me. mint paratha and sundried tomato naan were fine.  husband got the lamb kebab, but said that was good, but not special. everything was beautifully plated. 

While the food was a very pleasant surprise, I'm not sure the decor lives up to the hype.  there's nothing wrong with it, but from all the hype i'd expected a bit more. And our server was good initially but then disappeared after the main courses were served--we couldn't flag him down to order more kulcha and getting the check took forever. 

the food was really great though, I look forward to returning and trying more. 

[DonRocks]

8 hours ago, sandynva said:

We had a really good dinner there a few weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was, and in particular by highly spiced it all was. It's not hotter than most local indian food, but it's like where most chefs would use 1tsp of cumin, this one uses 2, so the flavor of the spices, particularly the cardamom, is distinctly stronger. I was also pleasantly surprised by the price. From the articles and reviews i thought it would be more expensive than it was--our meal was only slightly more expensive than ours at rasika for example.The goat cheese kulcha was so good, i wish we'd gotten another one. the cauliflower dish was great--the texture was perfect (how do they get the stems and core so well cooked without the florets getting mushy?) it was coated with chaat-like spices and served on a very tasty mash of what seemed to be potatoes and cauliflower, with a great green chutney. We also really liked the mushroom pate (how do you make mushrooms that smooth?) though we didn't think the bread it was served on added much. Biryani was great too. even the raitas we had were excellent, though the beet/coconut one was almost like a dessert for me. mint paratha and sundried tomato naan were fine.  husband got the lamb kebab, but said that was good, but not special. everything was beautifully plated. 

While the food was a very pleasant surprise, I'm not sure the decor lives up to the hype.  there's nothing wrong with it, but from all the hype i'd expected a bit more. And our server was good initially but then disappeared after the main courses were served--we couldn't flag him down to order more kulcha and getting the check took forever. 

the food was really great though, I look forward to returning and trying more. 

Thank you so much, sandynva - this is a wonderful perspective from someone who comes across as an Indian-American (are you)?

[sandynva]

yep. My parents are Gujarati, though they grew up in Calcutta, so i know something about Bengali food as well.

[Serious Eater]

It took us a while to warm up to Punjab Grill. They seemed to be trying too hard, with their over-the-top decor, dishes with multiple sauces when one would do, with multiple garnishes when one or none would do. Were they over-compensating, and for what? We have decided that if we overlook all of that Punjab Grill is actually a very good high end Indian restaurant. In terms of atmosphere it is relatively quiet; tables are large and far apart; tableware, e.g. linen, is of good quality. Service is good, wine selection and wine service is good. And then there is the food. We find it to be comparable to high end Indian restaurants in New York -- although below the level of, sadly lamented, Tabla -- and for that matter in India, albeit a bit below the Michelin-starred high end Indian restaurants in London.

At a recent meal we had gol gappa, perhaps the best we have ever had since they were not overly sweet (pictured); Hokkaido (well, maybe from Hokkaido...) scallops, perfectly prepared on the knife edge between cooked and raw, with cauliflower puree (pictured); kathal kofta, or jackfruit dumplings, a so-called signature dish and rightly so (pictured); rarha  lamb, a lovely lamb shank virtually fat free, moist and tender along with a mincemeat curry sauce (pictured); and garlic naan and missi roti, the latter made with chickpea flour not all that commonly available (pictured). 

But the key question is: how does it compare to Rasika and Rasika West End? The food at Rasika and Rasika West End is in fact better. However, after twenty or thirty meals at Rasika a little variety is nice.

[Tweaked]

The last photo, of the naan, looks super good.

[mtureck]

On 12/31/2019 at 3:19 PM, Serious Eater said:

It took us a while to warm up to Punjab Grill. They seemed to be trying too hard, with their over-the-top decor, dishes with multiple sauces when one would do, with multiple garnishes when one or none would do. Were they over-compensating, and for what? We have decided that if we overlook all of that Punjab Grill is actually a very good high end Indian restaurant. In terms of atmosphere it is relatively quiet; tables are large and far apart; tableware, e.g. linen, is of good quality. Service is good, wine selection and wine service is good. And then there is the food. We find it to be comparable to high end Indian restaurants in New York -- although below the level of, sadly lamented, Tabla -- and for that matter in India, albeit a bit below the Michelin-starred high end Indian restaurants in London.

At a recent meal we had gol gappa, perhaps the best we have ever had since they were not overly sweet (pictured); Hokkaido (well, maybe from Hokkaido...) scallops, perfectly prepared on the knife edge between cooked and raw, with cauliflower puree (pictured); kathal kofta, or jackfruit dumplings, a so-called signature dish and rightly so (pictured); rarha  lamb, a lovely lamb shank virtually fat free, moist and tender along with a mincemeat curry sauce (pictured); and garlic naan and missi roti, the latter made with chickpea flour not all that commonly available (pictured). 

But the key question is: how does it compare to Rasika and Rasika West End? The food at Rasika and Rasika West End is in fact better. However, after twenty or thirty meals at Rasika a little variety is nice.

Forget about the food...that's some really nice photography. 

What are you shooting with?

[sandynva]

https://dc.eater.com/2020/8/24/21354316/punjab-grill-serves-sikh-langar-communal-meals-homeless-people-downtown-franklin-park-d-c