AJANTA: The Amazing Indian Restaurant!!

On the first day of the New Year, we smuggled some leftover roast pork and spinach sandwiches on homemade bread and fruit salad into the airports so that we didn't have to waste money on crap food. By the end of the long day though, we were out and wanted Thai or Indian. Jim found Ajanta, the top rated Zagat restaurant in the Bay Area in the Albany area of Berkeley. They were also Voted Best Indian Restaurant in the Bay Area by SFGate Baylist 2009, San Francisco Focus Magazine, Bay Area Restaurant Guide, and East Bay Express had top reviews by: Diablo Magazine, San Francisco Examiner, Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and East Bay Express
and are Michelin recommended 2010.

They hadn't understood how quickly we would be there when we made reservations and how upset Peta gets when she needs food. They sat us at the tiny "bar" and we got some Gewurtztraminer, but they brought out papadam lentil crips and cilantro-mint chutney. We looked through a spice rack full of Indian spices, many of which were unfamiliar, and the Ajanta cookbook. Then a kindly old man began to talk to us about the book and Indian food. He turned out to be the owner, Lachu Moorjani and he tried to sell us a book. Yeah, right! We asked where the map was so that we could see where the regions listed were and he got bummed out that the publishers hadn't included one and that they hadn't let him change the color of the actual recipes. We felt kind of bad for him.

But as we went on and saw how excellent and attentive the service was ("Oh, it's too hot. Let me get you some riata (no charge)). We ordered the special dinner and got vegetable and chicken samosas, Baingan Bagarte (Hyderabad), Goa Fish Curry (Goa), Methi Murg (Andhra Pradesh). We now knew that Methi is Fenugreek leaves. Cool! The fish was either ling cod or something else. Jim wasn't sure and didn't ask that question, but he certainly asked a lot of others!

It was a great experience and we'll tell everybody about this fantastic experience.