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CAPITOL CUISINE by Celeste McCall
In the Atlas District, Daru creates exotic Indian cuisine with international flourishes, including this generous, flavorful lamb shank. Photo: C. McCall
New Indian Daru, an exceptional Indian restaurant with international flair, has arrived in the Atlas District. You’ll find it at 1451 Maryland Ave., NE (the former Star Grocery), just off H Street. “We’re so excited to be a part of the neighborhood,” co-owner Dante Datta explained as we surveyed the busy kitchen where chicken tikka was roasting on vertical skewers. “We found this property thanks to a real estate broker friend.” Created by Dante and chef/co-owner Suresh Sundas, the kitchen turns out the familiar Indian dishes with creative touches: Daal (spicy lentils) are perched on burrata; paneer cheese arrives in pesto tikka; naan is dusted with Middle Eastern za’atar blend; achiote-red jackfruit is tucked into flatbread tacos.(The co-owners met at the West End Rasika in 2012.) Asked about the new restaurant’s name, Dante explained “Daru” means “hooch” or “moonshine.” We had to check this out. On a Thursday evening, we settled by the window in the restaurant’s cozy corner space. The place was humming. Our excellent servers–Athena and Helen—recommended the lamb shanks (instead of lamb chops), describing the shanks as richer, more flavorful than chops. She had that right. The lamb had marinated overnight in garam masala and mace, before roasting in Kashmiri chili paste, coconut milk and saffron. The enormous portion could feed two; we took half of it home. Peter chose chicken tikka, where chef Sundas had marinated the white meal cubes in onion, tomato masala and fenugreek before roasting them on vertical skewers. We also sampled palate-blasting dhungar bhartha (smoked eggplant with onions, ginger and cilantro and lots of hot peppers). A dollop of yogurt would have soothed my singed palate. Daru’s wonderful Indian breads include garlic naan, whole wheat roti and an assorted basket; we chose za’atar olive naan.
Besides innovative cocktails concocted by Columbia Room alum Tom Martinez, there’s a selection of beers—including Taj Mahal lager from India and American-style India pale ale (from Kalamazoo, Michigan). From the brief wine list, I quaffed a Tempranillo/Granache blend from France. Dinner for two with a drink apiece came to $79 before tip. Daru seats 40 diners inside plus another 16 on the patio. For now, Daru is open Tuesday-Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. with brunch planned for the future. Call 202-388-1848.
An old favorite, Eastern Market’s Market Lunch, welcomes customers with blueberry pancakes, fried fish, crab cakes and more. A popular Market Lunch entrée is the fried flounder, served with fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce. Photo by Pete McCall
Revisiting an old Favorite As many new restaurants are opening around Capitol Hill, husband Peter decided to revisit an old favorite. Here’s Peter: Market Lunch beckoned as I led a fellow DC tour guide on a stroll around America’s best urban neighborhood. We found Eastern Market’s venerable eatery—dating from 1978—as good as September 2021 ★ 95
