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	Upcoming Events Recent Events Calendar Regional Groups Calendar Archive About SIGS	Indian Food for an Indian Summer’s Eve Sunday, September 21, 2008 By Peggy Fallon Photos by Joyce Jue and Gary Arsham Guests Maija Dzenis, Rita Held, Sheri Tate, and Peggy Falon The intrepid Traveling Table met at Mantra, an Indian fusion restaurant on a charming Palo Alto street. The attentive restaurant staff led us to a large square table in a semi-private alcove, which made for an evening of relaxed dining, lively conversation—and a considerable amount of plate-passing. In the background, the soft sounds of a remarkably good jazz trio added to the ambiance. Ashwani Dhawan, Mantra’s Managing Partner and veteran high tech entrepreneur, offered a warm welcome and encouraged questions about the menu created by Executive Chef Sachin Chopra. The restaurant is the realization of Dhawan’s longtime dream of combining classic Indian flavors with the natural bounty of California. Mantra's managing partner Ashwanit Dhawan Our special tasting menu included a number of comment-worthy dishes, paired with selections from Mantra’s extensive wine list. For starters, the chef offered platters of two of his signature flavored naan for nibbling. For the first course, diners chose between a Duet of of Paneer Cuboids tempered with a cool shot of Mango & Passion Fruit Soup, or grilled Day-Boat Scallops garnished with peas and a refreshing shredded salad. The artfully presented soup course—Gingered French Carrot with Black Pepper & Fresh Mint Jelly—was our hands-down favorite. Next were the entrée selections of spicy Saffron Breast of Chicken with Roasted Cashew and Onion Sauce, or Smoked Chili Organic Tofu with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil Biryani. Although the portions were so generous that everyone was pleading “full”—we all managed to finish Mantra’s irresistible trio of house-made frozen desserts: a luscious ice cream, a tangy blood orange sorbet, and aromatic Kulfi studded with pistachios and fresh and dried fruits. Declining coffee (only because we couldn’t eat or drink one more thing), it was noted that three hours had passed since our arrival. Inspired and well sated, we went our separate ways, with thoughts of meeting again for happy hour at Mantra. Mantra 632 Emerson Street Palo Alto, CA. 94301 Reservations: 650.322.3500 www.mantrapaloalto.com	List of Recent Events September 2008 Cooking Teacher SIG September 2008 Minutes from September board meeting (Word doc) September 2008 Peanut Butter Tasting September 2008 SF Networking event at Local Kitchen September 2008 Stirring the Pot: Celebrity Chefs September 2008 Traveling Table at Mantra September 2008 30th Anniversary of SFPFS August 2008 Board Meeting Minutes (Word Doc) August 2008 Coffee Cupping July 2008 Cooking Teacher SIG June 2008 Honey Tasting SIG June 2008 Food Writing Book Club SIG June 2008 Digs Bistro June 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Showdown May 2008 A Visit to Careme 350 May 2008 Cooking Teachers SIG May 2008 San Mateo Members Meet May 2008 South Bay Members Connect April 2008 Wine SIG takes a Beaujolais Cruise April 2008 Demystifying the Food/Wine Dilemma March 2008 Pasta tasting March 2008 Cooking Teachers' SIG March 2008 Traveling Table to Ubuntu March 2008 Gelato Making February 2008 Best of Show Cabernet Sauvignons January 2008 AGM 2008 January 2008 Cooking SIG at Ramekins January 2008 Stirring the Pot: Future of Chinese Cuisine December 2007 Marmalade tasting November 2007 Wine SIG samples sparklers November 2007 United States of Arugula review November 2007 Decoding Molecular Gastronomy October 2007 Career Change Roundtable October 2007 B Star Bar September 2007 Barbary BBQ on Maiden Lane September 2007 Vanilla Tasting August 2007 Wine SIG tastes Rieslings June 2007 Wine SIG Rosé Tasting June 2007 Wines from Livermore June 2007 Tasting Sig Explores Fetas June 2007 Dinner at B Restaurant May 2007 An Evening with Jaques Pepin April 2007 Knockout Santa Cruz Wines March 2007 Feasting at Chef Chus February 2007 Annual General Meeting February 2007 Lessons from a Master Taster: Darrell Corti February 2007 East Bay Urban Wine Tour January 2007 Traveling Table: Radio Africa and Kitchen December 2006 Holiday Cookie Exchange November 2006 Southern Foodways Alliance October 2006 Stirring the Pot with Chuck Williams October 2006 Wine Sig Looks for Varietal Character August 2006 SFPFS Barbeque on the USS Hornet August 2006 Stirring the Pot: Building your Culinary Pedigree June 2006 Antony Bourdain at the Commonwealth Club May 2006 Expo West 2006 May 2006 Table Travelers visit Old Mandarin January 2006 The Annual General Meeting January 2006 Impressions of Fancy Food, the 31st annual trade show September 19, 2005 Stirring the Pot: The History, Dynamics, and Ethics of Luxury Dining June 22, 2005 Stirring the Pot with Nell Newman, Els Cooperrider and Guinness McFadden May 25, 2005 Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust Fundraising Dinner May 18. 2005 Philippe Stark and Michel Rolland at the SF W Hotel April 28, 2005 Roundtable: The Food and Culture of Burma February 15, 2005 Stirring the Pot with Harold McGee October 22, 2004 Food Fight! A Lively Discussion of Today's Most Challenging Food Choices July 12, 2004 Blenheim Apricot Food Tour May 17, 2004 Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Hubert Keller, Michael Mina and Bradley Ogden March 15, 2004 Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Gerald Asher February 10, 2004 SFPFS Traveling Table goes to New Delhi Restaurant January 26, 2004 AGM / NMR Review November 10, 2003 Reel Food - Castro Theatre September 25, 2003 Food Tour - Heritage Fruit Orchard at Filoli Gardens September 17, 2003 Rick Knoll on Organic Farming June 16, 2003 A Conversation with Thomas Keller: The Soul of Haute Cuisine in America May 19, 2003 The SFPFS Traveling Table - Roxanne's in Larkspur April 28, 2003 Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Marian Burros and Marion Cunningham March, 2003 Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Marion Nestle


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