Head to The Menu for Jazz and Healthy Indian Food

If you couldn't get enough of the Stanford Jazz Festival this week, welcome to Mountain View.

, at 2700 W. El Camino Real and one of the city's newest Indian restaurants, will host a "wrap party" for the festival with the band Jazz ConneXion tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

But don't just come to for the music; come and stay for the food.

The food at The Menu, according to co-owner Prakash Aswani, will take patrons on a culinary trip through the different regions of India, highlighting, according to Aswani, India's "artisan cuisine" or traditional regional cuisine.

"I look forward to when Mountain View loves The Menu," said Aswani. "We hope this is a place that will benefit the community. Everything from ingredients to our cleanliness. The guest is God."

With fresh, organic and healthy ingredients, fried items like samosas and kale pakoda don't feel heavy. Fried instead in grape seed oil, they taste light and flavorful, as did the curries, since instead of cream, they are prepared with almonds and other nuts to create the consistency, Aswani said.

Aswani, 59 and a former technology CEO, told Patch that years ago if someone had asked him if he wanted to open a restaurant, he would have said, "no." However, after the birth of his granddaughter four years ago, he sought a place where families could eat healthy and be entertained together.

"What bothered me was not just the food, but that fun was associated with food," he said about commercial play areas in places like Chuck E. Cheese. "Food takes on a different connotation, and for food, people turn to junk food."

The restaurant, which spans 10,000 square feet, has a dining room, a wine bar lounge with a full stage and flat screens, and an expansive banquette hall good for conferences, weddings, birthdays and other private affairs. About 150 people fit in the banguet room, while 87 fit in the bar.

"And although one part is a family restaurant," he said. "The good food is what we are focusing on."

At The Menu's grand opening in May, Mountain View Mayor Mike Kasperzak lauded the restaurant's commitment to the community, as it had already begun to support local schools and charitable organizations with fund raising and nutritional food programs.

"Their corporate philosophy is to build business by building philanthropy," said Kasperzak. "It's great to welcome another restaurant to Mountain View. "

Since its opening, The Menu has made an effort to integrate itself into the local foodie scene, and debuted their new Master Chef at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival, where they unveiled an organic quinoa briyani.

It also wants to be the destination, not just for Indian food in the tri-city area—it's right on the border of Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto—but arts and entertainment too.

Immediately upon entering the restaurant, patrons will notice a large obsidian sculpture of a woman. Sculpted by former engineer Damian Jones, the "Jasper Priestess" on exhibition at The Menu was inspired by his trip to India, according to Jones. The second Jasper Princess is on display on Main and First Streets in Los Altos.

'Murals by Morgan' also has art on display, and hers would be hard to miss. Morgan paints large wall art and she has several pieces on exhibit.

Also, in addition to its jazz Thursdays, every Friday they also have a band and happy hour in the lounge.

"Typically our home is our destination...," Aswani said. "Dining out is no longer a luxury because of our schedules, and it's important to be healthy."

Between the food and art at The Menu, Aswani feels they are on the right path.

"The creative process is invigorating," he said.

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