Dear Patron:

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones. All of us at Ajanta are doing well and business is quite good.

Most of you are familiar with the ‘Zagat Guide.’ I personally find this guide very useful for finding and visiting good restaurants in the entire Bay Area, much more so than other published reviews. Zagat is offering a free guide if you finish a survey by March 28th. To get the free Zagat Guide, visit zagat.com. Select 'San Francisco Metro Area.' On the left side, you will notice an offer: ‘Vote in San Francisco restaurant survey and get a free guide.’ Click on this box and start voting. You must finish the survey by the deadline, March 28, 2010, in order to get the free guide. While you are at it, please do not forget to vote for Ajanta.

All of the new dishes introduced last month were very well received. The most liked dish was easily the chicken dish, Mangalore Chicken Curry. Several customers came back to eat this dish again. This was also my favorite dish and all my family members declared that this is one of the best chicken dishes featured on the Ajanta menu. As usual, we will leave this dish on the menu for at least a couple of months so that more of you can enjoy this wonderful dish.

Following are the new dishes being introduced for the month of March 2010:

Tandoori Asparagus: Locally grown asparagus has become available and we are happy to put this most popular appetizer on the menu once again. Fresh organic asparagus spears are marinated in oil, pureed garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and spices, including paprika, clove, and cardamom. The spears are roasted in a very hot tandoor oven and served with a sauce made with yogurt, sour cream, ground cashews, and chile flakes. This appetizer outsells all other appetizers every time it has been featured. If you have had it in the past, you already know why. If you have not had it, try it and you will find out why.

Seyal Machi: This dish is from the state of Sindh. Sindh no longer exists as a state (it became Pakistan in 1947), but Sindhi culture is alive and well in India. Most of you who have been with us know that I was born in Sindh. This dish is based on a family recipe and is one of my all time favorite dishes. This dish presents fresh fish fillets, either Ling cod or Mahi Mahi, in a simple but tasty sauce made with caramelized onions and spices. The spices include mango powder, coriander, turmeric, and paprika. This dish has been very popular every time it has been featured in the past.

Mixed Vegetable Kofta: We continue our tradition of having at least one kofta dish on our menu. Mixed vegetable kofta is my favorite kofta dish. Balls are made with grated organic vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, peas), breadcrumbs, potatoes, and spices and are served in a creamy curry sauce. The balls are flavored with chile flakes, dried pomegranate seeds, ajwain seeds, and cilantro. The kofta balls are fried and placed in the curry sauce before they are served, retaining their pleasantly crunchy exterior.

Badal Jaam: We have been receiving requests to bring back this dish since December, when it was discontinued. We discontinued this dish due to the poor quality of globe eggplants we were getting during the winter. Good quality eggplants are now available and we are happy to bring the dish back. This elaborate Moghlai dish from Lucknow, north India, is the best eggplant dish I have ever come across. Slices of organic globe eggplants are pan-fried, brushed with our home made tomato sauce, sprinkled with some spices and then served topped with a sauce made with thickened yogurt, lemon juice, and cilantro. This dish could easily qualify to be a signature dish for Ajanta.

The following dishes are being discontinued to make room for the new dishes:

1. Spinach and Feta Cheese Samosa

2. Goa Fish Curry

3. Baingan Baghare

4. Paneer Kofta

It is always a pleasure to see you at Ajanta.

Sincerely,

Lachu Moorjani