![]() His sous-vide dishes include tandoori-spiced salmon, which is cooked sous vide for 24 hours, then served with creamy spinach and mushrooms. That included learning to use an immersion circulator. Like many of us, Thapa used quarantine to amp up his culinary skills. But diners will find it alongside chefed-up plates like melon chaat, which features compressed melon with spiced yogurt. Vegetable Manchurian, for instance, a dish of crispy veggie balls in spicy garlic soy sauce, has its place on the menu. That’s not to say there won’t be familiar flavors to those who already love the fusion cuisine. We just wrote about one casual Indo-Chinese restaurant in Herndon, but Indochen’s cuisine, which Thapa describes as “Chinese dishes adapted using Indian flavors and spices,” while more casual than London Curry House, will be a bit fancier than the takeout-focused spots you can find throughout the region. ![]() At Indochen, the chef finally gets to cook the Indo-Chinese cuisine that he focused on in his years following culinary school in Nepal. But that restaurant will be reborn today with a new concept and menu, one closer to Thapa’s heart. Most recently, he was the force behind the kitchen at London Curry House in Alexandria. Given Christine's enthusiasm and attention to detail, I expect constant improvement and look forward to our next visit.Chef Ram Thapa has been cooking mostly the northern Indian food familiar to western diners for his whole career in the United States. After dinner, we were greeted by the Manager Christine who gave us a brief walking tour of this true treasure of a place. ![]() The menu changes frequently so be sure to look it up online before you go. Crab cakes (All lump) w/ a vinegar slaw served with herb mashed potatoes w/ an aioli and the Crab and Lobster ravioli w/ a crispy piece of prosciutto served in a tomato cream sauce (very rich!) Both dishes were terrific and would recommend if available. Could have ordered that all over again and called it dinner and walked away happy! Then came the mains. The "Duck Three Ways" (served over a crispy outside/soft inside sweet potato pancake) appetizer was fantastic and would definitely order again, same with the buttermilk battered fried rock shrimp and red chilies over rice noodles w/Asian sweet and sour sauce. My Manhattan and my wife's Martini were PERFECT. However, Kadeesha stepped in and everything turned around on the spot. Got off to a rather slow start as we had to ask for a waiter and then things were a little confused with the wrong drink order delivered. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere superb. $150 per person is about the top of my mark, and that’s special occaission time.) (I know there are restaurants in the DC metro that are ten times that, but I still think that ridiculous and almost obscene. Our pre tip total without desserts, but with cocktails, 1 glass wine each, 1 appetizer and entree each was $370, which I view as sort of pricey. ![]() So, the three times I’ve gone and had strong service we’re solid 4 1/2 dining experiences, but the two times that service wasn’t up to snuff degraded the experience despite excellent food. Not knowledgeable of the specials, not particularly welcoming, not attentive to clearing dishes promptly or ensuring that everyone had drinks. Not rude, but they just weren’t up to the level of experience that the owners hope that the patrons enjoy. The waitresses were slow and inattentive. Our friends had rabbit, which he loved and she had lobster and crab dish. The entrees were all on the very good to excellent cusp, I had braised lamb with polenta, which was close to perfect, my wife had crab cakes, and they do a great job. Very good wine and cocktail list, marvelous appetizers, including duck crepes (superb) and fresh oyster sampler plate. For a warm spring night on the patio with wife and close friends, it had every making of a great experience. I went to Cedar Knolls in January, for my anniversary dinner, had a wonderful waiter (Tom or Todd) and it was a solid 4 1/2 Stars. Sorry to say that I’m starting to view Cedar Knolls as a crap shoot, had wonderful experiences three times, and mediocre (for the price point) twice.
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