Restaurants in Bethesda

As customers might guess from looking at the wooden sitars and paintings of musicians hanging on the walls, raaga means "sweet melody." In the kitchen, chefs blend spices to create their own complex harmonies of northern Indian flavors. Clay ovens roast tandoori chicken along with shrimp and salmon fillets marinated in spices. Sixteen vegetarian specialties, including croquettes stuffed with raisins, cashews, and housemade cottage cheese, wait to be sopped up with nine different Indian breads and a selection of napkins. For dessert, servers deliver dishes of the signature mango kulfi, an ice cream flavored with mango and cardamom.

As a 12-year-old restaurant apprentice, central Italy native Domenico Cornacchia crafted his first pastas and authentic Italian specialties by hand. Since then, he has honed his culinary skills in Swiss, French, and American kitchens, finally opening Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in 2008. There, chef Cornacchia and his chef de cuisine, Michele Lisi, pair mozzarellas from Italy, California, and Virginia with toppings such as homemade green-tomato marmalade and grilled zucchini. Cornacchia—who is “a whiz with pasta,” according to the Washingtonian—also tosses and fills homemade noodles with produce sourced from Amish farms, seafood, veal, and beef. Homemade desserts such as ice creams and sorbets complement authentic Italian meals, which, like Julia Child's short-lived attempt to serve food by slingshot, unfold in a dining room with an open kitchen.

Each day at Fenton Cafe, Meaza Gabru swirls thin layers of batter on crepe makers in her open kitchen, creating delicate shells for sweet and savory fillings. She stuffs more than 40 different crepes with ingredients ranging from chocolaty nutella and fresh fruit to smoked turkey, cheese, and egg. In fact, her selection of crepes is so overwhelming that the The Voice recommended that locals visit weekly "until the entire menu has been devoured." Bold coffees and espresso drinks accompany Meaza's signature treats, which diners can savor on the outdoor patio or while sending a breakup text to their pancakes.