"Opened April 9 as a splashy new Raleigh restaurant from chef Saif Rahman (formerly of Vidrio) and artist Patrick Shanahan, this project channels Rahman’s journey from Bangladesh to North Carolina and emphasizes the warm hospitality of his grandmothers. The dining room pairs an “ancient-meets-modern” aesthetic—grand arches, Roman clay walls, and Moroccan lime plaster—with sleek interiors that serve as a backdrop for cuisine blending South Asian heritage with American Southern ingredients. The standout is a Bengali wedding chicken: a whole, Buddhist-style bird from a family farm served (feet included) to share, plated with the sauce beneath and accompanied by a Carolina Gold rice pulao from Tidewater Grain tossed with ghee, crispy onions, sultana raisins, and rose water so guests can mix it themselves. The fragrant sauce features raw and fried onions, cashew purée, rose water, lime leaves, local curry leaves, and in-house–ground garam masala (using Indian cinnamon), and the wedding chicken was the most-ordered dish in the opening week. Other notable menu items include sorghum-glazed duck breast with foie gras, Old Dhaka lamb kebabs, and a dry-aged ribeye with gochujang butter. The restaurant is open Tuesday–Thursday 5:00–10:00 p.m. and Friday–Saturday 5:00–11:00 p.m." - Erin Perkins