Longtime D.C. Restauranteur Serves Food, And Presidents

Published January 29, 2016 at 12:40 PM CST

Ashock Bajaj is founder of Knightsbridge Management in Washington, D.C., which includes seven restaurants, including The Bombay Club, just one block from the White House. (Rey Lopez)

In Washington D.C., one of the places to find movers and shakers is The Bombay Club, a block from the White House. For nearly 30 years at The Bombay Club, turbaned waiters with white gloves have been serving refined Indian dishes to presidents, as well as tourists, long before Indian food became popular in the U.S.

The owner is Ashok Bajaj. His dining empire includes seven other restaurants in the D.C. area, many serving the cuisine he grew up with in New Delhi. Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti checks in with him about what makes a great restaurant, and how culinary tastes and the restaurant scene have evolved in the nation’s capital.

Guest

Ashok Bajaj, founder of Knightsbridge Management in Washington, D.C., which includes eight restaurants: The Bombay Club, 701 Restaurant, The Oval Room, Ardeo+Bardeo, Rasika, Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, Rasika West End and nopa Kitchen+Bar.