Mantra was a French–Indian Fusion cuisine restaurant located in Temple Place of the Ladder District of Boston, Massachusetts designed by Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani. It was cited as a factor in the transformation of the Ladder District into a more appealing part of the city of Boston.[1][2] The restaurant featured an avant-garde style design. The food served was compared to Nouvelle cuisine.[3] The restaurant also featured a hookah bar.[3] They began selling high-end Voss bottled water after opening in 2001. Voss was a new brand at that time and Mantra offered it in part to draw attention to their unusual selections.[4]
| Mantra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2001 |
| Food type | French–Indian Fusion cuisine |
| City | Boston |
| State | Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 42°21′18″N 71°3′42″W / 42.35500°N 71.06167°W |
The dining room was located in what was previously the lobby of a bank. The restaurant retained some aspects of the bank's decor with a high ceiling and a marble bar.[3] The restaurant's restrooms drew attention due to their unconventional design. The stalls used One-way mirrors as doors and the urinals were located in the center of the room and were filled with ice.[5]
Although it was initially slated to open in January 2001, Mantra did not open until June of that year.[3] It initially featured an Indian chef who had worked in French, Mediterranean and Indian style restaurants.[6] The owners of Mantra had previously owned several traditional style Indian restaurants in Boston.[7][8]
In April 2012, parent company One World Cuisine announced that it would be closing Mantra, along with the company's flagship restaurant Café of India in Harvard Square.[9] In July 2013, the property was sold at foreclosure auction for $1.7 million to Amir Youshaei, owner of Paz Jewelry. [10]
References
edit- ^ Teitell, Beth (25 October 2001). "Downtown neighborhood tries to climb up the social Ladder". The Boston Herald. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (9 February 2003). "Ladder to Success Step by Step". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d Nadeau, Robert (9 August 2001). "Find enlightenment in trans-ethnic food". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "Restaurants open bottled-water floodgates". The Reading Eagle. Originally published in the Wall Street Journal. 9 March 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Raymond P. Fisk; Stephen J. Grove; Joby John (August 2007). Lise Johnson (ed.). Interactive Services Marketing (3 ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-618-64180-2.
- ^ Schaffer, Mat (19 June 2002). "Indian spices and global appeal are mantra for chef Thomas John". The Boston Herald. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Heuser, Stephen (3 August 2000). "Indian food goes naan-traditional". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ Shartin, Emily (15 April 2001). "Family Satisfies Area's Taste for Indian Food". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "One World Cuisine closing down flagship restaurants Mantra, Café of India". IndUS Business Journal. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ Grillo, Thomas (22 July 2013). "Hub jeweler buys failed Mantra restaurant for $1.7M at auction". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2015.