Rasa (restaurant)
Rasa | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | October 2014 |
Owner(s) | Ajay Walia, Reena Miglani |
Head chef | Ajay Walia |
Food type | Contemporary Indian |
Street address | 209 Park Road |
City | Burlingame |
State | California |
Postal/ZIP Code | 94010 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 37°34′39″N 122°20′46″W / 37.577405°N 122.346048°W |
Website | www |
Rasa is an Indian restaurant in Burlingame, California, United States, owned by Ajay Walia and his wife Reena Miglani. It opened in 2014 and the following year, under chef Vijay Kumar became the first Indian restaurant in California to be awarded a Michelin star. In 2022 it closed and became a branch of the owners' casual restaurant, Saffron. It reopened in 2024, with Walia as executive chef.
History
[edit]With his wife Reena Miglani, Ajay Walia opened Rasa in October 2014 in a space formerly occupied by an Indian bistro, with the objective of making Indian cuisine, particularly South Indian cuisine, a fine dining option in the San Francisco Bay area.[1][2][3] In October 2015, under chef Vijay Kumar, the restaurant won a Michelin star,[4][5][6][7][8] the first Indian restaurant in California to do so.[9] In 2016 the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle called it "clearly the best Indian restaurant I have found in the Bay Area."[10]
Kumar left Rasa in 2021 and moved to New York City, where he became head chef at Semma.[6] In May 2022, after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on indoor dining made it difficult to operate a fine dining restaurant, and after reevaluating the pressure of retaining the Michelin star, Walia and Miglani closed Rasa and made it a branch of Saffron, their casual Indian restaurant in San Carlos, opened in 2003, which serves both North and South Indian food.[2][3][7][11][12][13][14][15]
Rasa reopened on October 15, 2024.[13][15][16][17][18]
Restaurant
[edit]Rasa occupies the first floor and mezzanine of 209 Park Road in Burlingame.[9] Originally it served primarily South Indian cuisine;[1] for the reopening, the menu has been updated to be more broadly contemporary Indian with emphasis on seasonal ingredients.[9][16][17] The dining room was predominantly black[2] with color accents based on spices;[1] after its redecoration as Saffron, the decor became lighter, using white with oak wood,[6][12] and it has retained wallpaper[9] and is now more brightly colored.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bauer, Michael (February 23, 2015). "Restaurant review: Rasa's southern Indian blends bold, delicate".
- ^ a b c Shu, Anthony (June 17, 2022). "Rasa owner ditches Michelin star, reopens as casual Indian bistro". Palo Alto Online.
- ^ a b Golding, Anni (September 8, 2022). "Exceptional Saffron". Punch.
- ^ Sutton, Ryan (October 20, 2015). "The 2016 San Francisco Michelin Guide's Big Winner Is David Kinch's Manresa". Eater SF.
- ^ Zavoral, Linda (August 10, 2020). "Chef Q&A: Rasa restaurant's Vijay Kumar on curry memories, cilantro and cooking during challenging times". San Jose Mercury News (interview).
- ^ a b c Zavoral, Linda (May 25, 2022). "Burlingame: Michelin-starred Rasa closes, will reopen as Peninsula's second Saffron bistro". San Jose Mercury News.
- ^ a b Guerrero, Susana (May 9, 2022). "Bay Area Indian restaurant, known for crispy dosa, closes". SFGate. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023.
- ^ "Michelin Stars Light Up Bay Area in 10th Edition of Famed Restaurant Guide" (press release). Michelin Media. October 20, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Hernandez, Cesar (January 22, 2025). "California's first Michelin-starred Indian restaurant is back. But the landscape is different now". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Bauer, Michael (March 2, 2016). "Burlingame's Rasa is the Bay Area's best Indian restaurant". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023.
- ^ Browning, Corey (October 22, 2024) [May 7, 2022]. "Burlingame's Michelin-starred Rasa to close". San Mateo Daily News.
- ^ a b Kadvany, Elena (May 2, 2022). "Why the pressure of a Michelin star is one reason this Indian restaurant is closing for good". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Jung, Carolyn (September 20, 2024). "Michelin-Starred Rasa Returns to the Fine Dining Ranks". Eater SF.
- ^ Saria, Lauren (June 3, 2022). "How This Former Michelin-Starred Indian Restaurant Is Taking It Back to Basics". Eater SF. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Rusch, Holly (October 23, 2024). "Burlingame's Michelin-starred Rasa returns". San Mateo Daily Journal.
- ^ a b c Markoulakis, Sophia (October 16, 2024) [October 15, 2024]. "Rasa rises again in Burlingame". Palo Alto Online.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Kate (October 22, 2024). "Rasa, Burlingame's Michelin-starred restaurant highlighting southern Indian cuisine, is back". San Jose Mercury News.
- ^ Kadvany, Elena (November 8, 2024). "Rare Michelin-starred Indian restaurant returns to Peninsula after years-long closure". San Francisco Chronicle.