Why the owner of Burlingame’s Rasa gave up a Michelin star

Twenty years ago, Ajay Walia left the lucrative worlds of finance and tech to open a restaurant and spread awareness of the diversity of Indian cuisine. He wanted guests to forget images of steam-table buffets, and winning a Michelin star at his South Indian Burlingame restaurant Rasa in 2016 should have authoritatively proven his success. So why did Walia close down Rasa to reopen it as a second location of ...

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650 Restaurant Roundup: RWC lands Zareen’s tikka masala and Vons’ Korean fried chicken

Plus, SF’s Farmhouse Kitchen arrives in Menlo Park, ZombieRunner makes moves and Zadna Bowl brings fast-casual Mediterranean to Palo Alto. Zareen’s grilled chicken boti served with naan, rice, dal, pickled salad and raita. (Photo by Natalia Nazarova) There is a lot happening in the world of Peninsula restaurants lately. And this edition of our monthly round-up gives us (well…specifically our stomachs) some hope that local eateries can endure and expand during these ...

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From Mumbai to Santa Clara: How this family-run Indian restaurant survived during COVID-19

Puranpoli’s vada pav, a fried potato dumpling served with chutney and pav, a soft bun, is a vegetarian street food dish native to the state of Maharashtra, India. (Photo by Federica Armstrong) Meet the family bringing authentic Maharashtrian street food to Silicon Valley. Puranpoli is quite literally a family-run restaurant. Roshan Shivalkar opened the Maharashtrian restaurant in Santa Clara the same day the Bay Area’s shelter-in-place order took effect. His older sister is ...

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