Windows On The Bay Restaurant

Suvir Saran’s

Author: Nirvana Style Editor Sun Dec 30, 2007

Suvir Saran’s “American Masala” and the return of Devi

“There are no second acts in American lives,” goes the much-disproved F. Scott Fitzgerald observation, and it’s been disproved yet again. This time by an Indian-born chef in New York City.

Suvir Saran has pulled off a couple of amazing feats in Manhattan’s cut-throat world of high-end restaurants. First, he and fellow chef Hemant Mathur created Devi in 2004, a restaurant that would become the only Indian restaurant to earn a star in the Michelin Guide New York City 2007. The restaurant was owned by Rakesh Aggarwal, and not the chefs, and that came to, well, bite them. In August of this year, Devi was closed in response to a lawsuit against Aggarwal by workers.

“Devi opened in late 2004 and earned admiring reviews, it intended to be — and arguably was — the most ambitious and refined Indian restaurant in New York, where Indian restaurants haven’t taken root or soared to glory to the extent they have in London.”

Then on October 22, Saran and Mathur returned as owners of Devi, reopening the restaurant at the samelocation and with most of the original staff. Many of its signature dishes returned, too, but so did a range of “new classics,” such as Masala Fried Chicken and Spicy Mushroom Toasts. Those “new classics” are from Saran’s new book, “American Masala: 125 New Classics from My Home Kitchen” (written with Raquel Pelzel).

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Masala is a catchall phrase that means spice mixture — not just the actual seasonings — but also the spice that enlivens our lives. This is the concept that Suvir Saran explores in his brilliant new cookbook, AMERICAN MASALA (Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, October 11, 2007), a delicious blend of Indian and American cooking that combines the best the two have to offer, yielding dishes that are both and new.

“I have cooked Suvir’s recipes probably fifty times, never without delightful, fresh, inspiring results. When it comes to contemporary and traditional food, I trust him implicitly. American Masala is a gem.” — Mark Bittman, Author, How to Cook Everything and The Best Recipes in the World (and “The Minimalist” columnist in the New York Times)

read full articles with photographs and purchase

http://www.nirvanastyle.com/html/fashion_articles.php?id=219

Tags: Cookbook Publishers, Delicious Blend, Masala, New Classics

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New York – New York, It’s A Wonderful Town! A holiday in a town that a lot of people haven’t experienced, by any definition, to the fullest, can be exhilarating, active, exciting, very pleasant and romantic. The “Big Apple,” the “City That Never Sleeps” – New York is a city of superlatives: America’s biggest; its most exciting; its business and cultural capitals; the nation’s trendsetter. The city seems to pull in the best and the brightest from every corner of the country.

In my humble opinion, this town has taken a bad rap based on the news that used to come by all forms of media 10 to 15 years ago. What some may consider the negative aspects of a city with a population of around 10,000,000 people, the attendant crime, that affects residents and visiters alike, has seen a continued dramatic reduction from 1993 to 2004 which has continued for the most recent 5 years, resulting from, in part, from a concerted effort from local authorities. A cleaner, brighter, safer New York is attracting people from around the world who are coming to enjoy the city. The city is in Renaissance and can offer a holiday of attractions to explore such as history, commerce, and world politics to say nothing of the tourist interests and nightlife that sizzles. But let me not get ahead of myself. Here is a brief outline of why the city of New York is a must see-experience.

 

Lodging and Hotels

Need a New York City hotel? Want to be in the heart of the action? A holidy hotel in the city, within walking distance of Grand Central Station, Times Square, The Financial District, Rockefeller Center, the Theatere District or world class shopping, is available to you based on the hotel rating and price range of your choice. From The Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue to Wolcott Hotel near Madison Square Gardens, a vast array of hotel rating, price and location are in the mix. Hotel reviews are readily available based on all criteria to help you find the perfect place to rest after a day in New York.

 

Restaurants

Dining is an integral part of any holiday and certainly New York isn’t any different. This city has a fantastic abundance of choices when it comes to restaurants. With the endless options that you have, making a choice on your current whim may be a difficult decision. From a corner bistro, a trendy club or a hotel dining room, the eclectic tastes and abundant variety of New York cuisine are close to your location wherever you may wish to stay.

 

Broadway Shows and Concerts

When the city of New York is mentioned, we could think of many things. Certainly, in today’s financial climate, Wall Street may jump into your head, possibly NATO maybe the Statue of Liberty or even the New York Yankees. Any one of these could be your first thought. Well my first thoughts go to the broadway shows and the concerts that are available in hugh variety. Names the likes of Madonna, Cher, Justin Timberlake, Chicago, Bob Dylan and Elton John frequent New York to play concerts and Broadway shows such as Momma Mia, The Lion King, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Jersey Boys, Shrek the Musical , South Pacific and Hair all currently are running in New York. If you prefer classical music, the New York Philharmonic, Boston City Orchertra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra come to New York to perform. Whether you enjoy alternative rock, jazz, techno, heavy metal or country, you can find it here in this city. Compliment your holiday, trip or night out with your choice of the smorgasborg of musical entertainment that is your for the listening in New York.

 

Attractions

Things to see and experience abound in New York, the Empire State Building, NBC Studio, The Museum of Modern Art, City Lights Twilight Cruise, Madison Square Garden, Lady Liberty Cruise and even a New York Helicopter Tour. Walking tours and bus tours expand your ability to see this city and the sights that are a part of the New York trip or holiday. Days can be filled with such enjoyable activities.

 

Shopping and Nightlife

New York City is a shopping mecca, offering designer fashion, style , quality and choice hard to find anywhere in the world. Whether you are looking to add flair to your wardrobe or pick up the perfect gift, New York is the place to start. Plan a stroll down Fifth Avenue to find the finest quality, drop downtown for great deals, hit the chic boutiques of West Village. Whether you’re looking to buy the latest fashions, great souvenirs or just plan a walk through, New York City’s department stores are like no other. Check out these great stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Bloomingdale’s which offer everything from fashions to housewares, and cosmetics. Some stores actually will put your name on a list of people to notify when a sale is being planned. Whoever decided that nightlife had to be confined to the darker hours of the day wasn’t using their imagination. No matter what your nightlife style is – laid-back neighborhood watering hole, swanky lounge, high octane dance club, old-fashioned Irish pub, posh pool hall, dive-y music club, sophisticated piano bar – New York’s sheer variety is astounding. Add in all the Broadway and off-Broadway shows, art gallery receptions, free public concerts, and impromptu sidewalk entertainers, and you have a full 24-7 schedule of goings-on. Even the “regular” bars and clubs usually stay open until 3 or 4am. Let your hair down, have fun, and don’t be afraid to call for a cab home.

This city, New York, is thriving, active, exciting, vibrant and teems with things to see and do. A 3 or 4 day stay will pass very quickly and you will return home refreshed and wanting to go back at your next opportunity. The “Big Apple,” the “City That Never Sleeps” will be waiting for you.

If you have any questions or want further information, please go to my web site http://www.tpiworldwide.com/BrucePickettTPI/ and send me an email with your thoughts.

 

Tags: Hotel Rating, Rockefeller Center, Wonderful Town

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There doesn’t seem to be very many scenarios where a business has become successful without implementing a marketing and localization strategy first.

 

Where certain companies seem to speak every language, they didn’t get successful overnight. The Swedish company, IKEA for example is known throughout America and Europe and now slowly through Asia by using several marketing schemes. Even though the company is still advertising the same types of products, even IKEA, where it’s products are fundamentally simple- pieces of furniture, the catalogs it advertises localized to each country specifically depending on the country. Depending on how people are raised and what they are accustomed to will depend on how they will approach furniture. Furniture is very personal. It must be presented in a way that is welcoming to people with their political, cultural and ethical in mind. Or it needs to grab attention- like what IKEA does.

 

One thing IKEA has done to blur boundaries is advertising through public transportation, create a “complete” shopping experience and keep costs low. IKEA could not have sent out more than 190 million catalogues to the global households without 56 editions and in 27 languages without the help of a translation and localization company working full time for them.

 

Blurring The Lines Using Transportation Methods

Since transportation to some of the large IKEA stores involves a trek way outside of people’s normal 20 mile radius close to home, IKEA has developed some ingenious ways to get people to there store for free, optional incentive to buy “of course.” In Brooklyn, New York IKEA provided a free ferry that runs from Wall Street to Brooklyn everyday from June 9 th to June 30 th as well as constructing models of New York City landmarks of the Empire States Building and the Brooklyn Bridge out of IKEA boxes. In Japan, IKEA’s guerilla marketing team took over a Kobe Portliner Monorail train, that made one of it’s stops near an IKEA and coated the seats and walls in decorative IKEA fabric, similar to a room design in one of their catalogs.

 

The Complete Shopping Experience

Assuming that you will be shopping awhile at IKEA, they have provided a Swedish style restaurant inside each IKEA store that has created one reason to go to an IKEA store for some where there perhaps wasn’t a reason before. Smelling Swedish meatballs while shopping would make anyone want to stop into the restaurant, conveniently located at the checkout counter. Food will always be a universal selling point.

 

Keeping Costs Low Speak to Everyone

Of course if it’s a good product and it’s affordable or down right cheap, people will buy it. When it comes to similar designs, Japanese designs and Swedish designs are fairly similar, clean lines and simplicity. So IKEA wasn’t worried about that aspect of selling the products to Japan. If the products were made from high quality designs or would last, that is where IKEA could have trouble selling their brand.

 

When thinking about launching your product into the global market, think about ways you can appeal to people as individuals and their basic needs. Then, hire a localization and translation company to get the details across. When you speak the basics, you speak their language.

Tags: Global Marketing, Shopping Experience, Swedish Company, Translation And Localization

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