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| - What a lovely gem! I had heard wonderful things about Rasa and got my chance to test it out last Monday. Monday is industry night, which involves live music, $5 wine pours and a set menu.
The complementary amuse bouche was house made corn chips in a black bean dip/puree, sprinkled with malt vinegar dust. Looks like nothing special but it was so delicious and a great start to the meal.
The salad came next. The infamous chopped salad. OMG, I want to eat this all the time. Kale (not too much, which is good b/c....kale, gross), quinoa, chopped veg, crunchy chickpeas. The star was the jalapeƱo dressing with lots of Macedonian feta. Simple but so delicious.
For the appetizer I chose the smashed potato. I have no recollection what it involved, b/c I was in a complete trance. There was spicy, and creamy, and there may have been cheese. Fantastic.
For the main, I ordered the truffle gnudi. My friend was a bit WTF at me b/c I don't actually love mushrooms. BUT, in my own defence, I love mushroom flavour, and figured, if there is ever a time to experiment with eating mushroom chunks, it's probably at a place like this. I really enjoyed the hen of the woods and the pickled mushrooms, but wasn't a big fan of the portobellos. No biggie, the rest of the dish was delicious and exciting.
For dessert, the restaurant offers a sweet treat as part of the set menu. I elected to order a bourbon caramel donut. I certainly didn't need it, but the food was so good that I figured, why stop now? It was delicious but not mind-blowing. I'm more of a potato person anyway.
My bill was a thrifty $75, even with 3 glasses of wine. The music was enjoyable but not intrusive. The owner (I think? Adam?) came over a couple of times and was really nice. The hostess and all of the waitstaff were friendly and charming. No stuffy hipsters here. The whole vibe of the place was great. Robert street has free parking. What more do you want, yelpers?
I will definitely return.
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