Wines from Austria: A Taste of Culture

Amaya Unveils Stimulus Package

Dear Valued Guests of Amaya,

Let us start off by saying that there may be tough times ahead, but we don’t think it is quite time to let pessimism get the best of us. Here at Amaya, we believe the only bubble to burst is in your tummy. That is why, henceforth, we will be implementing a fair and honest stimulus package to those bellies in need of a bailout.

We are speaking of a bailout of compromised ingestions and questionable imbibing. We at Amaya don’t believe you, our guests, should have to suffer for the shortcomings and bad habits of the fat-cats in Washington. Why shouldn't you have Wall Street wines for Main Street prices? A proper Amaya curry at a proper price is, in our minds, not something reserved for the privileged few.

We must be socially responsible at this time of great uncertainty. Every man, woman and child deserves to decide for themselves if Amaya is what they fancy. That said, it is our job at Amaya to make these visions a reality.

We are implementing the following amendments to our pricing system. This unprecedented move is as much about filling the void in your stomachs as it is filling the voids in our collective bank statements.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS:

ONE(I): hereby offer exclusively ‘market’ prices on all Chef’s Tasting Menus (‘market’ being defined as NYSE, TSE, DJIA and all other). Chef’s Tasting Menu for Two at Amaya will, from this day forward, be at a cost of 1% of Dow Jones Industrial Average (at end of day trading). For example; March 26, 2009, Dow closes at 7,924.56; Chefs Menu for Two on the date of March 26, 2009 will be $79.24.

TWO(II): hereby limit tariffs on all wines sold by the bottle. All bottles of wine sold at Amaya shall have a markup no greater than $19.29! For example; if the said cost of a bottle of 2007 Conundrum is $26.95; Amaya’s selling price for said bottle will be $46.24 ($26.95 + $19.29 = $46.24).

To all of our treasured guests, it is with great humility and confidence that we can say…YES, WE CAN… ignite your taste buds and not your wallet. YES, WE CAN… offer great wines at great prices and YES, WE CAN…help strengthen our resolve for a brighter tomorrow by acting on it today!

Faithfully yours,

Hemant and Derek
{The Plumbers}

* click here to print a pdf copy of the package

National Post: Daals & Deals

Stan Honda, AFP, Getty Images

Amaya has already won the heart of fabulous foodie Padma Lakshmi. And now it's winning over recession watchers.

Indian resto Amaya has moved past prix fixe to a menu that's dependent on the Dow

How the Dow goes here, so goes the daal.

I'm talking about Amaya, that rather fine, non-curry-in-a-hurry restaurant on Bayview, which -- get this -- has taken the ingenious approach of tying its prices to how the markets are doing. Not only has it proven to be a success, but this is one resto, I'll dare say, that's managed to find a silver lining in these dark-as-tamarind times.

"Business at Amaya the Indian Room and Amaya's Bread Bar [across the street] had dropped by about 20%," concedes proprietor Hemant Bhagwani. This, despite the fact that foodies have been in awe of this place since its inception, and that even a woman who'll make a foodie out of pretty much anybody -- Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi -- was in for dinner last year. Others who have stopped by include: Susur Lee, Jamie Kennedy, Bonnie Stern, Lucy Waverman, Christine Cushing, J. P. Challet, Cava's Chris MacDonald and Michael Bonacini.

"We didn't want to reduce prices," Bhagwani goes on. "We wanted to have fun while enticing people to come in." So, this is the deal: There's a three-course tasting menu for two in place that is tied to the Dow Jones. "It is," he explains, "priced at 1% of the trading average of the day."

And since the idea was introduced earlier this week? Well, about 95% of his diners have been opting for the Dow Jones plan. No surprise there, I guess.

Shinan Govani, National Post
Published: Saturday, March 21, 2009

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