1. When did your career as in the restaurant industry begin?
A passion for food has always been there. In New Delhi, before moving to New York, I worked in a modern Sheraton and the idea of opening a venture up in New York has been with me ever since.

2. When did you open Bukhara Grill?
We opened in 1999. Between the years of 1986 and 1991 I was working in various restaurants in New York and waiting for the timing and the right moment to arrive. My partners Raja Jahnjee and chef Bachan Rawat along with myself have been here since the beginning.

3. What kind of cuisine do you serve at Bukhara Grill?
Northern Indian. We follow a tradition of a nomadic people, and therefore our focus is on our meats, and items that would be hunted and gathered rather than harvested. Our specialty has to be our grilled meats. We use a clay oven, open coals and grill meats like chicken and lamb. We bake fresh Nan daily and have successfully replicated Northern Indian cuisine since the beginning. Everything is made in-house.

4. Describe the setting of Bukhara Grill?
We started by completely gutting a law office, which occupied the space previously. We have imported everything from the Northern India in order to replicate an experience located near the border of Afghanistan. From the decorative rolling pins, to the aprons worn by the waiters, to the request that our clientele eat with their hands is authentic. We do, however, provide utensils.

5. Describe some of the clientele that visits Bukhara Grill?
We have a very informed, discerning and a well traveled clientele. From our locals to those who view Bukhara as a destination spot. We have served many diplomats (we are right down the street from the United Nations), celebrities like U2, the Rolling Stones and the Clintons—you name it. Actors from the Bollywood seek us out when in New York. But, we have a very loyal clientele, that expects authentic fare, and, of course, they are not disappointed.

6. You mentioned Bollywood. Do you have a large Indian clientele?
Over all, I'd say 60 percent of our customers are Indian. My belief is that if you are looking for good ethnic food, you need to follow the locals. So, if you want a good Chinese restaurant, go to a place where you see a lot of Chinese eating.

7. What other ventures are you involved with?
We used to have other locations, but right now we are concentrating on our original restaurant on 49th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues). We also have a heavy catering division.

8. Really? What kinds of events are you catering?
We have catered events at the White House, the United Nations replete with Security Personal and even Salman Rushdie's wedding. We have done events in St. Petersburg, Flordia, Orlando, Cancun, in discerning settings in New York and within the Indian Community. We mostly do traditional Indian weddings though. Indian weddings have the reputation of being very vibrant, joyous affairs where the food only enhances the mood. We do many weddings.

9. Getting back to food. What is differentiates your cuisine from other Indian restaurants in New York?
We are a traditional Northern Indian restaurant. We stick to that tradition and try not to diverge what we know and excel at. We are not a fusion restaurantem-dash —which in my opinion leads only to confused food and flavors. We are the sole importers of certain spice mixtures from India, which, of course makes us stand out as well. Our food is always fresh as well. We do a lunch buffet and full dinner service, and are always busy, which insures fresh food.

10. What kinds of spices do you use?
We use unique spice blends from India. They combine spicy and sweet attributes and are mainly used as rubs on our meats.

11. What kinds of meats do you serve?
We have all types of seafood (crab, fish, shrimp), quail, chicken and about four lamb dishes at any given time. We always accept special requests as well.

12. What values do you try to instill in your staff at Bukhara Grill?
Our staff is well seasoned, so little effort has to be made on my part. However, I try to be hands-on at all times and instill the utmost politeness and humbleness in our staff. We insure that the dining experience at Bukhara Grill is one of the most memorable dining experiences. Some of our customers have been here since day one, and the importance of the customer is one thing we recognize. There are many other options in New York, but we try to make Bukhara remain at the forefront of everyone's mind.

13. You mentioned the approach of being hands-on. Please Explain...
Our guests and staff expect me to be there, and I make sure that I am during most evenings. I like to make sure our clients have a good time and the only way to do that is to be present.

14. If you weren't involved in the restaurant business, what profession would you be involved with?
I don't see myself doing anything else. I have been involved in this business for a bit over 25 years and am comfortable in the setting.