Shaking up the Raleigh culinary scene, Tamasha Modern Indian opened the doors to its primo North Hills locale back in February. And, as expected, they delivered an almost immediate success story, with reservations quickly booked to the brim and glowing reviews pouring in on everything from its appetizing and artfully presented fare to the carefully designed elegant ambiance.
A rising star still in its infancy, Tamasha is a concept I’ve been looking forward to trying since I first penned an article about its upcoming debut back in December. Ahead of its opening, I had a chance to sit down with executive chef Bhavin Chhatwani and owners Mike Kathrani and Tina Vora to discuss their vision for Tamasha, from the authentic and complex menu to its elevated ambiance. And trust me when I tell you: It exceeded all my already-high expectations.
True to its name, the just-opened Indian oasis is a grand performance (the literal translation) from the moment you step inside the door up until you take your last bite. The lush, sophisticated surrounds communicate a tasteful flair of glitz and glamor, while the moody yet green-accented decor feat. touches of gold round out the restaurant’s boujee environs.
Tamasha
As for the food, I have one word: wow. I would be remiss not to cast a spotlight on the lamb kheema kulcha, an app stuffed with minced lamb, goat cheese and roast garlic butter that I could’ve easily finished by myself (if not for my “sharing is caring” motto when eating out with friends). As for the slow-cooked kerala pork belly bao, the meat was so tender I swear it almost melted in my mouth on impact.
Per a fellow foodie recommendation, I ordered a plate of the purple sweet potato, crunchy kale and shiso chaat—and I was not disappointed. The dish’s textures alone earned it a shoutout—NTM the underlying flavor of mint present in each bite.
On to the main event, every single one of chef Chhatwani’s decadent mains were a hit, from his iteration on the fan-fave/OG Indian staple butter chicken—which the chef claims to be “the best butter chicken” (spoiler: He’s right!)—to the rich and creamy dakhini saag to the Mushroom’s Paradise, which one of my mushroom-averse dining companions declared to be delicious. And take it from me, you’ll want to add the winter black truffle to the dish… it is *chef’s kiss.*
Although I was convinced my stomach was much too full for dessert, we couldn’t pass up a plate of Tamasha’s final grand performance: the North Meets South, a mouthwatering coconut pudding featuring rose, hibiscus and coconut jellies. Essentially, art in dessert form.
In essence, Tamasha achieved—and far surpassed—its mission of executing a “grand performance” from beginning to end, transforming a dinner out into a perfectly executed experience of sights, surrounds and flavor. And I’m already counting down the days until my next visit.
April marks the beginning of a lineup of 15 new destinations rolling down the runway at RDU.
Springtime travel bug: activated. RDU has been consistently rolling out new flight announcements, runway groundbreakings and restaurant openings over the past few months—clearly showcasing its ability to soar into a new caliber (read: the official airport of college basketball!).
What’s more, more people are flocking to fly than ever before, with the Transportation Security Administration totaling 3 million+ more passengers in October 2023 than during the same month pre-pandemic.
Now, the excitement continues to build with a plethora of upcoming international and domestic flight debuts (hallo, Germany!) Prepare for boarding as a batch of 15 nonstop flights take their inaugural trips off the Raleigh runway in early April. Here’s the lowdown of which destinations are on the docket to fuel your wanderlust. Ready for takeoff?
Boarding in April
April 10
Boston (BOS) | Frontier Airlines Miami (MIA) | Frontier Airlines New York (LGA) | Frontier Airlines Tampa (TPA) | Frontier Airlines
And straight from the depths of your fever dream as you look to live out all your Caniacs passions, now you can eat, sleep and breathe in the chaos via The Burnzie Bowl—aka wild and wonderful defenseman Brent Burns’ fire collab with Happy + Hale. Spoiler alert: It’s what victory tastes like. So, essentially, if you really wanna feel the burn and can’t spring for Playoffs tickets, now at least you can throw on your No. 8 jersey and fork into the hype. This is (hopefully) our year!happyandhale.com; nhl.com
You’ll definitely feel the ~burn~ via the fun, vibrant and wild Burnzie Bowl—on offer April 3 through June 30 at Happy + Hale—stacked with winning ingredients like BBQ steak, bacon, Brussels sprouts, onions, peppers, dill slaw, brown rice, arugula, scallions and chipotle BBQ sauce.
Cooper Charitable Foundation is now providing housing stability grants to Raleighites in need.
“There is housing around us. It’s just not always affordable.” So says John Cooper, founder of the Cooper Charitable Foundation, a recently debuted nonprofit with a mission to provide support to locals who need help to secure housing or remain in their homes via housing stability grants.
The foundation’s operations will be overseen by longtime affordable housing advocate Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, who is positioned to further her passion for positive change via her recently instated role as executive director. “This spoke to me because of the mission,” shares Baldwin. “I’ve been working on affordable housing, housing choice and providing more housing—that’s been my top priority since I’ve served on the city council and as mayor—so this seemed to be a natural progression. And I have to say, I’m really excited.”
The grants—poised to provide more immediate housing assistance—will operate as a means of bridging the gap for those working to meet their expenses but unable to keep up. Essentially, if someone can afford a rent payment of $600 per month and applicable housing options cost $900, the housing stability grant provides that $300 difference. Note: The grants run between one to six months, with each amount given dependent on the situation at hand.
Cooper, also the president of Cooper Tacia General Contracting, has a personal stake in the cause that led to the founding of this benevolent endeavor. Growing up, his mother worked multiple jobs and struggled to get by while experiencing domestic violence, and his grandmother lived on a meager fixed income. And, so, when his grandmother passed, Cooper sought a way to memorialize her, landing on the cause for housing assistance due to the steadiness she offered him during his youth.
“She provided a lot of stability for me in a childhood that was often chaotic,” he recalls. “That was the foundation of me going to college, starting a company and pretty much every achievement I’ve ever had.”
Truly paying kindness forward, Cooper is now funneling a personal contribution to the cause by making the first $100,000 donation—plus covering all overhead expenses—with the foundation’s first public fundraising event slated to take place June 12 at Mulino.
What’s more, the Cooper Charitable Foundation is teaming up with a trio of local nonprofit organizations: Wake Tech’s Fostering Bright Futures program, Oak City Cares and Healing Transitions to assist with verifying circumstances, identifying locals in need and connecting them in a process positioned to fulfill grant requests fast.
“These organizations are working with the people needing the grants—and they know them,” says Cooper. Adds Baldwin: “We are looking to get this streamlined and simple [in partnership with] organizations that do this all the time.”
Fueled by the mission to spark positive generational change in families, Cooper’s inspiration stems from a desire to show those in need there are people out there who care. “To put your hand out and tell someone, ‘You matter’—that’s a lot of encouragement to folks.” Clearly, caring about your community carries power indeed.
Amtrak’s tremendous growth in Raleigh has us ready to ride.
Public transport’s popularity is surging (that’s so European!)—and Raleigh is chugging along at the forefront, ranking among the top five stations in the Southeast region last year in terms of Amtrak ridership (alongside Richmond, Alexandria, Charlotte and Norfolk).
“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina [and Virginia] are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” says Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.”
With daily round trips rolling out to Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham (and a ream of other destinations), Raleighites seeking a low-maintenance means of transport have an easy op to pop over to a new city sans getting behind the wheel—plus the added perk of naptime, worktime or finishing that daily Wordle during the commute. Or, say, a safe ride post a few drinks in Durham without the worry of DDs or Uber surges.
With the earliest train departing Union Station via the Piedmont line at 6:30am and the last rolling back in around 10:52pm—NTM tons of times in-between—daytrip ops abound. Here, the deets on hitting the tracks to a trio of cities around the state. Full steam ahead! amtrak.com
Durham
• Commute time: ~30 minutes • Uber needed upon arrival? No, arrives Downtown • Latest departure back to Raleigh: 10:17pm
