Junnoon in Palo Alto

Now that many friends and colleagues know about my interest in discovering new food and restaurants, they tend to invite me to their favorite places when I am in town. This time I was invited to an Indian restaurant that has been making waves in Palo Alto.

Junnoon is the brain-child of first-time resturanteur, Sabena Puri. While she pretty much had no background in the food business, she does have an interesting background. Sabena is an Harward MBA and worked in the software industry for a number of years as a Product Manager. She also happens to be the daughter of the person who founded Moser Baer, one of the largest manufacturers of DVDs and CDs in the world.

Junnoon is also among those new restaurants in the USA that have managed to elevate Indian food into a fine-dining experience for their predominantly Western clientele. The food is more Mantra than Amber, two other similar Indian restaurants in the heart of Silicon Valley. Actually, Junnoon is located in the same building as Facebook.

They have an interesting menu of appetizers, but we went directly to entrees. We decided to share two entrees: the Rice-flaked Sea Bass and the Old Delhi-style Chicken. The Sea Bass was a Kerala-inspired, New Zealand blue-nose sea bass preparation with a rice-flaked crust. The fish was served in braising greens and a kokum sauce. The Chicken dish was a tikka masala inspired chicken dish served in a fenugreek seasoned tomato and onion sauce.

The fish was moist inside with a crunchy crust. While the fish was good, I must say that the Sea Bass I had in Mantra was better than Junnoon's version. The Old Delhi Chicken was good too, but I like this dish more spicy than it was here. In retrospect, I probably should have begun with their starters which I hear are pretty good.

In any case, loved their desserts! The Baked Apples in Cinnamon Rabdi was quite delightful and innovative as was the Pumpkin Flan with Pumpkin Seed 'Chikki'. Apparently, the molten chocolate here is very good too, with an east-west combination of flavors and taste.

The modern and chic decor goes well with the fusion cuisine. Techo-raaga plays in the background, and a palette of metallic colors in the lounge area and the sheer ceiling-to-floor silken drapes makes for a great ambiance.

Floyd Cardoz of Tabla fame is the executive chef of Junnoon. Here is a podcast interview of Sabena Puri if you are interested in more details. Junoon is located at 150 University Avenue, Palo Alto.

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Other Bay Area Moments

Waking up late on a Saturday, I ventured outside my hotel in downtown San Francisco. Unusually, it was quite warm outside and the wind actually felt good rather than chilly. I went up to the Virgin Superstore to see if they were had additional Wii controllers, but had no luck. I will have to buy another copy of Wii Play to get a new controller, which kind of sucks!

Then it was time for lunch and I found myself in Straits Restaurant at Union Square (inside the Westfield Shopping Center). Nice little place which proudly advertised that Roti John was available during all hours. Roti John! What the heck is that?

Roti, of course, is Indian bread. But the origins of Roti John is a Singapore legend. One version says that Roti John had been inspired by a homesick tourist named John who was in search of a sandwich. Failing in his search, a helpful hawker sliced up a loaf of French bread, clapped in a mixture of minced mutton and onion and dipped the whole in beaten egg which he fried until crisp. As locals took to Roti John, it soon becomes a staple at Muslim food stalls.

Another explanation about the origination of Roti John said that this food is actually named after the British who were stationed in Singapore during the colonial era. Roti means bread in Malay and the British were known as “John” to the Malays and that is how the name of this dish originated.

As for what I ate here: The Spicy Basil Chicken wasn't very spicy but was otherwise good. The Singapore Sling was nice and refreshing too.

Oh, and I got myself a new set of Bose speakers for the home computer. I like my Dell system - but it came with the worst speakers! These new Bose speakers do not require a seperate sub-woofer and yet reproduces deep, realistic low tones in spite of its small size. How cool is that?

The next day, I checked into The Cypress in Cupertino. After getting some email sorted out, I strolled into Arya for another delightful dinner (you can read about my first visit to Arya here). This time, I started with the Borani Baedemjoon, a medley of sauteed eggplant, yogurt, onions, garlic and mint garnished with kaskh (whey). The crunchiness of the fried onions, the taste of eggplant and the acidity of the whey added up to a great starter.

For my entree, I had ordered Chello Kabab Barg, a flattened kabab of minced USDA beef, seaonsed and perfectly grilled, then cut into strips. The Barg came with the usual Persian staple of fragrant, long-grained rice topped with butter. This was delicious too.

I decided to stick with Persian till the very end and chose Bakhlava for dessert. I like my bakhlava a little more crunchy and a little less sweet than the one I tasted here. I ended with a cup of Persian tea that was flavored with cardomom and no milk. All in all, a good dinner! Arya continues to be a great place to go for Persian food and an upscale ambiance.

The next day, I ended up at a nearby Chinese buffet restaurant, strangely just called Great Buffet. The restaurant was mostly empty, the food - variety of sushi, BBQ, dim-sums, noodles, fried rice, crab legs and other meat dishes - was not great. Some of the dishes were cold and the sushi did not look fresh. However, the BBQ was hot and good and the Green Tea ice-cream saved the day. Overall, not a place I will recommend.

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One Market in San Francisco

One Market opened in San Francisco in 1994 with a lot of fanfare and well-known chef Bradley Ogden at the helm. Then the restaurant went through a period of lows as chefs changed frequently. However, since Chef Mark Dommen took over in 2004, things have looked up, culminating in a coveted Michelin star last year. Incidentally, Mark began his career under Hubert Keller of the Fleur de Lys, one of my personal favorites in San Francisco fine dining.

Featuring floor to ceiling windows, an exhibition kitchen and a large bar area, One Market is just a short walk across The Embarcadero from the Ferry Building. Chef Mark Dommen has a seasonally changing menu that includes several inventive farm-fresh dishes.

I chose the prix fixe 'winter menu'. The first course was Sauteed wild Gulf shrimp on a bed of cucumber, daikon and green chile vinaigrette. The shrimp was fresh, crunchy and tasted really good with the vinaigrette.

The next course was a choice between duck and scallops. I chose the pan-seared day boat Scallops. Again fresh and tasty but the portions were too large for me. The scallops were placed on an orange foam that tasted of curry and contained fresh, tender green peas, sprouts and butter beans.

Dessert was a warm apple rhubarb galette with strawberry-rhubarb caramel and vanilla bean ice-cream. I ended up scooping out the fruit and ice-cream and leaving the rest.

The food here is fresh, simple and lives up to its reputation, but neighbouring Boulevard is warmer and livelier in ambiance, and would be my choice if asked to choose between the two. Located just across the Ferry Building, this is also a good choice for lunch after a stroll through the Farmers' Market on the weekends.

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Fix, Postrio & Dos Caminos

On my last night in Vegas, I finally ventured out of the Venetian and stolled with a colleague to the nearby Bellagio with it's dancing water fountains. The weather was very pleasant and it was fun leisurely walking through the neon-lit Strip's sidewalks.

After reaching the Bellagio, we headed straight to Fix for a drink. While at Fix they also serve contemporary All-American fare, we were content to sit at the bar with our drinks and talk. Constructed almost entirely of Costa Rican Padouk wood, this restaurant has been designed by Graft of Berlin to create a vibrant environment with an unique design. As the evening set in, the bar and lounge becane quickly full and lively. There were the obviously newly-weds lost in themselves, the animated groups of friends out for a party, pretty waitressses who looked in danger of spilling out of their little black dresses, and the tireless bartenders who expertly turned out drinks by the dozen.

After an hour and a few drinks later, we walked back to our hotel. We decided to go up to Wolfgang Puck's cafe, Postrio for a light dinner before retiring to our rooms. They have a wonderful selection in the Small Plates section. I chose the Kobe beef sliders with Tillamook cheddar and applewood smoked bacon, and the house-smoked salmon with dill creme fraiche and grilled brioche. The sliders are mini-cheeseburgers that melted in the mouth. The salmon too was wonderful to nibble along with the flaky brioche bread.

Next day, I woke up late and missed my breakfast. However, since restaurants open early (as compared to India), I was able to walk into Dos Caminos for lunch at 11AM. Like in New York, Dos Caminos in Las Vegas offers contemporary, and inventive Mexican fare along with a vibrant bar scene. Building on classic Mexican staples of guacamole, empanadas and tacos, the menu includes signature items created exclusively for Las Vegas from Executive Chef Scott Linquist. They also offer an interesting breakfast menu along with an extensive tequila selection.

The tortilla Soup of grilled chicken, tomato and red chile broth, queso fresco, and avocado was extra-ordinary. Thick and tasted of lentils/chick-peas. My Asada Tacos were made of grilled Kobe beef, carmalized onions, cotija cheese, guacamole. Like the waitress said, it doesn't get any better than this! For dessert I chose the Mexican flan, made of tequila-chocolate and berry salsita. The flan was very smooth, thick and appealing both to the eye and the palate.

Both food and ambiance in this restaurant are great! I thought the interior decor and lighting was very creative, especially in the large bar and lounge area. If you are in the Venetian-Palazzo complex, do try this place once!

It was finally time to check-out and drive down to the airport. I had an evening flight to San Francisco where I will get some rest during the weekend before another hectic, meeting-filled week begins in the Bay Area.

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Thomas Keller's Bouchon

It ain't quite the French Laundry, but that's the closest I could get to this time! Like the original bouchons of Lyon after which it was modeled, world-renowned chef Thomas Keller's Bouchon serves an award-winning menu of bistro classics and daily specials, featuring the best seasonal products available. Located in the Venezia tower of the Venetian in Las Vegas, Bouchon is quite clearly the top ranking restaurant in this resort-hotel.

The restaurant's exquisite decor is the perfect setting for its award-winning culinary delights. Soaring ceiling, potted plants, close tables, dark-wood furniture, and Parisian murals, together result in a great ambiance. The menu was interesting: printed on a thin sheet of paper that was folded around the napkins.

I chose their specials for today: Sweet carrot soup followed by an entree of roast leg of lamb, thinly sliced and served on a bed on greens, peppers and lamb jus. For dessert I ordered the coffee infused custard. The Pinot Noir went splendidly with my lamb entree; actually, the lamb was so good, it would have been great by itself. The dessert too was smooth and creamy and a fitting end to a great meal. The Spanish dessert wine our waiter recommended was very good too!

I think the sauteed scallops which some of my dinner companions turned out fine as did the cheese plattter. All in all a great evening! Everything I ate, I liked very much. The service lived up to its reputation; the waitstaff was knowledgeable, friendly and fast. Incidentally, this bistro has a great oyster bar too if you are so inclined, and they also serve a first-class breakfast in the mornings.

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More Venetian Indulgence

For those who have never visited this resort, the Venetian is a re-creation of (duh) Venice, right in the middle of Las Vegas. Frescos, paintings and sculptures abound: on the roof, on the walls, and around you. The all-suite hotel boasts of rooms that have sunken living areas, gold and marble bathrooms and three flat screen TVs. The Canyon Ranch Spa in the hotel occupies almost 100,000 sq.ft of space and provides a wide-variety of options to choose from. This resort has a multitude of upscale restaurants run by celebrity chefs that include Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batalli, Emeril Lagasse and Thomas Keller. And the Grand Canal Shoppes re-creates the magic of Venice with its cobbled streets gondolas, shops and bistros, all under an artifical evening sky!

I had a couple of lunch meetings at the 'outdoor' restaurants in the Grand Canal Shoppes area. Due to the artificial sky, it always seems like evening here, which also means 'outdoor' is actually indoors! Also, with European street performers singing and performing at the St. Marks Square, this place is quite lively and a good place to relax after some hectic meetings.

On one day, I ate at the Canaletto which serves authentic Venetian cuisine, and on another I tried Mario Batali's Enoteco San Marco. On both days I opted for pizzas. The Pizza Con Salsiccia at the Canaletta was a thin-crust pizza with spicy sausage, mixed bell peppers and carmalized onions with tomato sauce was delightfully crunchy. The Peppers & Sausage pizza at San Marco had Italian sausages, roasted peppers and mozarella. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them!

This time, I haven't even ventured out of the Venetian - yet. I also don't have time to watch a show; during my last visit I had watched KA by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand and was completely bowled over. Extremely exotic, the characters, costuming, lighting, music, special effects and superb athletic and acrobatic artistry combine to give you so many memorable, visually spectacular jaw-dropping experiences that the intricately involved story will prove relatively insignificant compared to what dazzles your eyes and boggles your mind. It is useless to say that you have to see it to believe it because you still won't believe what you're seeing.

However, Cirque du Soleil maybe going down the same path as Starbucks - too much expansion, too fast. When I first came to Vegas in the early 90s, there was only Mystere at the Treasure Island, their only show in the US. Now there are half-a-dozen of their shows here and more in Orlando and elsewhere in the US - with Beatles LOVE being their latest show at the Mirage.

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Delmonico and The Venetian

I landed in Las Vegas on a bright, sunny afternoon. I was back at the Venetian after two years, and this large casino-resort is now even larger with the addition of Palazzo. With over 7000 luxury suites, hundreds of shops and gaming areas, the Venetian-Palazzo complex is now the world's largest resort and hotel complex. Incidentally, the Palazzo under construction featured in an early scene in Ocean's Thirteen.

After a much-needed hot shower and and a change of clothes, I went out for an early dinner. The Delmonico Steakhouse located within the Venetian seemed like a good choice. Owned and operated by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, Delmonico delivers exciting New Orleans-style cuisine with flair. Specialities include bone-in ribeye steak and double-cut pork chop.

Twelve-foot oak doors open into a comfortable and intimate dining room with vaulted ceilings. A petite grand piano adorns the adjascent lounge and bar area which features French glass doors.

I began with an appetizer of ahi tuna and salmon tartare duet served with wasabi aioli and cucumber salad. This turned out to be an excellent choice! I enjoyed alternating between the tuna and salmon, enhanced by the tingling of wasabi on my taste-buds.

I ordered a rib-eye steak for my entree and was surprised by the huge slab of meat that was served to me. This was much larger than the steaks I usually order. The steak was very tasty but was a little over-cooked: I had ordered medium-rare, but I think they cooked it medium. I had ordered steamed brocolli on the side, and that went rather well with the steak.

For dessert, I had a Molten Kahlua Moccachino, which was delightfully rich with dark chocolate brownie, molten chocolate and kahlua topped with a dollop of coffee ice-cream and served in a coffee cup!

I retired early without leaving the hotel. But given how large the hotel is, even the walk from the restaurant to my room took about 10-12 minutes. And did I mention the room itself? The Venetian holds the world record on the largest standard hotel room - each of them over 1000 sq. ft. Here are some pictures of the room. The other cool thing is that two out of the three TVs in the suite are HDTVs and are showing HD movie channels - not that I have time for any this time around. :-)






Related post on my trips to Las Vegas: Sin City

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Dining at Trendz

Trendz at the Intercontinental Grand, Mumbai, serves contemporary western cuisine. I had a midnight flight to catch, which left me with just enough time for a leisurely dinner before driving to the international airport. Earlier, I (and my bags!) had survived the madness in Pune airport - Jet Airways' computers were down and they had to manually check everyone in.

Trendz has a distinctive, modern decor and interesting touches: check out the glasses on the table in the picture. Grilled meats, fresh seafood, and pastas make up it's menu. I was the only Indian in the restaurant; this place seems to be mostly popular with visiting westerners. The hostess took her time in seating me, even though the place was only half full and the service that followed was a little slow too.

However, the food was pretty good. I ordered the Bombay rock lobster with lemon-butter sauce and baked potatoes on the side. While my entree was being prepared, they brought me a complimentary shrimp starter. I had chosen the Sula Satory Merlot with my meal, and it went well with the spicy shrimp starter.

The lobster came impressibly plated and was fresh and tasty. The lemon-butter sauce complimented it and the baked potato cooked in it's jacket was good too.

For dessert, I had ordered an Old English custard tart with stewed fruit and clotted cream. While the fruits were good and fresh, the tart itself was only ok. I would have prefered some more clotted cream with it!

All in all, other than for the unfriendly hostess, the experience at Trendz was a good one. By the time I got done, I just had time to take the car to the airport. Thankfully, check-in was fast as was immigration. BTW, there is finally a decent-enough duty-free shop (run by DFS Singapore) in Mumbai International, but they are still awaiting their liquor license from the government (!).

Singapore Airlines and the Singapore girls continue to be their impeccable selves. I watched two movies during the flight: National Treasure-Book of Secrets (not as good as the first one), and The Kite Runner (very well made movie with awesome backdrops of Afghanistan).

They also serve the best airline food. During this flight, starters included Prawns with Nicoise salad - sauteed prawns with potato, green beans, olives, quail eggs, tomatoes, and mache lettuce served with citrus vinaigrette. Another time it was 'hot' smoked salmon with mesclun, cherry tomatoes and ranch dressing.

For lunch, my entree was sirloin steak, horseradish butter, bordelaise sauce, celeriac dauphinoise, green beans. For dinner, I had Oven-baked Salmon fillet with rice flakes in cauliflower cream and black olive oil.

Desserts? How about Japanese red bean ice-cream with green tea sauce, and Rum & Raisin ice-cream wth chocolate sauce and roasted almonds. Difficult to imagine you are eating this on a flight, eh? I guess the American and European airlines have a lot of catching up to do before they get anywhere close to Singapore Airlines.

Related post: Kababs at the Baluchi

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