Consuming Ambitions

Mantra: India-inspired California Cuisine

My friend and GroundWork Open Source CEO Ranga Rangachari reminded me of one of the newer Indian restaurants in Palo Alto, Mantra. He sent me a note reporting that he and his wife ate there recently and thought the food and service were excellent. In fact, he would rate Mantra as one of the best Indian restaurants in the Bay Area. Mantra opened in late March and I immediately capitalized by celebrating my birthday there with my family in April. As Ranga notes, the menu is most accurately described as "India-inspired" California cuisine -- so it's a fusion style rather than traditional Indian. Early on, the kitchen team was very accomplished but not Indian (executive chef Robert Ciborowski's resume included the French Laundry and Ritz Carlton, while chef de cuisine Thomas Horton came out of quality establishments such as Fifth Floor, Aqua, Postrio, One Market, and Left Bank). Ranga tipped me off that there's been a change in the kitchen, with Mantra nabbing Sachin Chopra from Amber as its new executive chef.

The more interesting Mantra personnel story relates to the two co-owners. Mantra's founding team consists of a high-tech escapee and a restaurant guy. Ashwani Dhawan was a longtime technology entrepreneur before pursuing his dream of opening a stylish restaurant marrying Eastern flavors with California freshness; in the recent past he managed development at Kleiner Perkins backed software concern Centrata. Ashwani's partner in crime is Krishan Miglani, an experienced restauranteur from various Fairmont, St. Francis, and Hyatt properties.

My experience with the food at Mantra (echoed by some people I've asked) has been hit or miss. To be fair, I've only eaten there once recently and thought it was outstanding. My previous visits reflected the previous kitchen regime. I grabbed a quick lunch last week with Peter Pham of Photobucket and we both were satisfied with the $13 Mantra Express "Complete" Lunch. The Complete lunch comes in two varieties, fittingly Indian and California. We went for the Indian version, which consisted that day of a curried chicken, dal (lentils), raita (yogurt), rice, and naan. Compared with my previous visits, the naan was much softer and lighter, and overall the food was more consistently good. Judging by the crowd of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs I see every time I visit Mantra, I think it's gonna make it!

Ranga's recommendations: chicken and lamb shank for dinner, finishing with a dessert of the tasting of ice creams and sorbet, which includes a scoop of kulfi (rich, creamy, spiced Indian ice cream).

Mantra Restaurant & Lounge
632 Emerson Street
Palo Alto, CA. 94301
(650) 322-3500

Any Way You Slice It

Ever wonder why you never saw pre-sliced apple wedges until the past few years? My reaction when I first encountered them at the grocery store was, "Why didn't somebody think of that sooner?" Today I picked up a very thoughtful and well researched New York Times article on the topic that I had set aside earlier in the year. As an engineer and technology lover I found it fascinating to discover all the science behind producing this healthy snack food. From the substance used to prevent the apples from browning, to the freshness-optimizing number of slices (twelve), to the innovations in cutting and processing the fruit, there is much more to creating ready-to-eat apples than meets the eye.

Science aside, the article raises some interesting aspects of the food industry's move towards convenience, or "snackability." Are we, the consumer, that damn lazy? In my damn lazy defense, as a purchaser of pre-sliced apples, I will say that the most compelling feature is not the convenience (though that's nice), but instead the ability to eat part of an apple, without waste. One slice here, two there, with no leftovers to brown and spoil. The author also cites some interesting insight from a cultural psychologist who is an authority on disgust: why are we more comfortable having an empty plastic bag left over versus an apple core? "The core is an extension of your tongue and your mouth, and the bag is not." And we are the thing we find most disgusting!

Ikeda's: Take Some Pies to the Ski House

With ski season upon us, I want to share a suggestion for a great place to stop for a break on the trek up to Tahoe. Ikeda's California Country Market could best be described as fruit stand meets bakery, with a hamburger joint thrown in for good measure. It's right off Interstate 80 in Auburn (a bit past the familiar In-N-Out Burger, another favorite stopping point). In the summertime, swing by for enormous white peaches, juicy apricots, and succulent heirloom tomatoes.

Even when produce is not in high season, you will find a cornucopia of tasty treats. Besides a selection of 3rd-party gourmet sauces and specialty foods, Ikeda's offers its own fresh foods: scrumptious fruit pies, pot pies, tamales, salsas, and award-winning granola. A perfect way to stock your cabin cupboard. Nuts, trail mixes, dried fruit, and candy will keep you fueled while you're shredding the mountain. Or you can skip all that and go for the instant gratification of a juicy burger with fries (I recommend the optional grilled onions and wheat bun). The food counter also offers sandwiches and salads, and a dozen or so tables means you can snarf down your vittles on the premises in case you're not desperate to hop back in your car immediately to continue your slog up the hill.

Ikeda's also has a small stand in Davis, which carries fresh produce, and a few of the essentials (pies, tamales, granola, preserves). Plus an outhouse with running water.

Directions from I-80E (heading up the mountain):

Take the Foresthill/Auburn Ravine exit. At the end of the offramp, turn right onto Foresthill at the light, then make a quick left at the next light onto Lincoln Way. Go about a quarter mile and you'll see Ikeda's on the right.

Ikeda's
13500 Lincoln Way
Auburn, CA 95604
(530) 885-4243

26295 Mace Blvd.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 750-3379

Digerati 3: Wine Tour 'Round the World

Thanks to co-hosts Ron Gutman, Erin Turner, and David Weekly, last Thursday evening I dropped by Gallery 16 in San Francisco to enjoy the Digerati 3 gathering where the wines were even more diverse than the crowd of entrepreneurs sprinkled with a few of us venture capitalists (sheesh, they'll let anybody into a cocktail party these days). Ron, who was a driving entrepreneurial force behind the recent rapid growth and development of the Israeli wine industry, pulled together an eclectic mix of unconventional wines from places other than the usual France, Italy, and California. Instead his selections hailed from Israel, Montenegro, South Africa, Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Georgia, India, and New Zealand.

Some of the wines were ancient: for example, the Greek wine Retsina goes back 3,000 years in history. Its unique flavor comes from the pine resin which was needed to seal the wine vessels in the days before the availability of barrels or other modern airtight containers (the resin is no longer required, but added today to maintain the traditional flavor). Though a bit unusual, I rather liked it. But then I'm also one to stick my face into the Christmas tree in order to take in the aroma. Actually you could do your holiday party guests a favor by serving Retsina, thus giving them the perfect alibi ("No officer, I haven't been drinking! You're smelling pine sap. I tripped and fell face-first into the Christmas tree, and my mouth was open, see...") Consuming Ambitions promotes responsible drinking and consumption of pine products.