The Restaurant Examiner: Elmsford Indian Restaurant Introduces New Owners, Chef
Ashok Salian and his wife, Priya Kapoor-Salian, are the new owners of the Indian restaurant RaaSa in Elmsford. They are joined by their executive chef Peter Beck. RaaSa held a soft opening in March and a grand opening in late May.
The husband-and-wife team met Beck when all three worked at Tamarind Tribeca, a renowned Indian restaurant in Manhattan. During Beck’s long reign as executive chef at the establishment, a New York Times reviewer called it “one of the best things to happen to Indian food.”
The East Main Street space that the Salians now operate their restaurant from was previously occupied by Malabar Hill, which went out of business in early 2013 after having served traditional Indian food for more than 20 years. The property underwent extensive renovation and last July attracted a new Indian restaurant with the name Raasa, but with many of Malabar Hill’s dishes on the menu.
Months later, Salian and his wife bought Raasa and decided to keep the same name for the restaurant except for one slight change: Raasa became RaaSa. (The word translates to an essence.)
A new menu was adapted with tandoori and seafood dishes including selections from the southern and northern regions of India, plus modern contemporary dishes. A tasting menu will be introduced shortly.
Three-course, prix-fixe meals are offered at lunchtime and an unlimited salad bar is accompanied by soup and non-vegetarian and vegetarian appetizers (including kebabs that change daily), plus an entrée, sides and dessert. Prices range from $12 to $20 depending on the entrée chosen. RaaSa does not offer a buffet lunch.
Ashok Salian comes from a family with a long history in the restaurant business. He graduated from the Kohinoor College of Hotel & Tourism Management Studies in Mumbai and worked for 18 months at that city’s JW Marriott Hotel after earning his diploma. He met his future wife when both were employed by the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Arizona. Later, both were members of the team that opened the Tamarind Tribeca restaurant in Manhattan.
“I always dreamed of opening a restaurant in Westchester County, said Priya, a hotel and restaurant management culinary school graduate who grew up in Chappaqua. She is in charge of the front of the house and the catering operations.
Beck was born in New Delhi. He began his cooking career at Bombay’s Centaur Hotel where he advanced to sous chef. Subsequently, he cooked and occasionally trained local cooks at restaurants in Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and England.
He came to America in 1994 and was recognized for his interpretation of the late Raji Jallepalli-Reiss’s fare. While cooking at Tamarind Tribeca, he received a Chef of 2002 Award from the James Beard Foundation. He also worked at Benares, an Indian restaurant in Manhattan.
Among Beck’s more unique and creative dishes are Amniya Tikki (seasoned roasted beets stuffed with mango relish); Makai Dhingri (corn, mushrooms, paneer and sun-dried tomatoes wrapped in a pastry); and Chennai Jhinga (shrimp in coconut sauce over rice lentil pancake). Seafood lovers should try Tawa Machli (Branzini), Cochin Kekda (jumbo lump crabmeat) or Chilean sea bass.
RaaSa is open for lunch seven days a week from 12 to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
The restaurant is located at 145 E. Main Street in Elmsford. A parking lot and on- street parking (with no meters) is available. For more information, call 914-347-7890 or visit www.raasany.com.
