Tandoori Bite
Princeton contains a global smorgasbord of downtown dining options and now fans of Indian cuisine have one more option.
Tandoori Bite opened its doors on Witherspoon Street and offers a full menu of North Indian specialties for diners. The 54-seat restaurant is a family venture, owned by Piara Singh Dhaliwal, who hails from Punjab and was formerly chef of Mehek on Nassau Street, and his daughter Sandeep Kaur.
“He’s been in the restaurant business more than 20 years,” says Ms. Kaur of her father. “It is my dad’s dream, that he wants to open his own restaurant in Princeton, because he likes Princeton,” she says.
Tandoori Bite, 36 Witherspoon St., Princeton, 609-385-0169; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (no website at present)

A New Westin Princeton
The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village has completed a full-scale renovation and renewal designed to make it one of the area’s top business and leisure travel choices.
“This all-encompassing new look reflects our commitment to offering our guests a retreat from the rigors of the road,” says General Manager Marc Fournier. The $9 million transformation of the Westin’s lobby, restaurant and lounge, and 296 guest rooms creates “a place that nourishes the mind, body and soul,” Mr. Fournier says.
Guests can linger at the Latitude Lounge and Patio, or sample the fare of Parallel 40 restaurant, which has introduced the concept of “Superfoods” to the Princeton area, food that is both tasty and health enhancing. The Westin now has five suites too, including the expansive multi-level Presidential Suite.
Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village, 201 Village Blvd., Plainsboro; 609-452-7900;
westin.com/princeton

Thurin Atelier

Fresh, classic, trendy, wacky, resplendent, elegant: as beautifully variable as brides can be, so can Jean-Ralph Thurin’s creations for them. Already a successful by-appointment-only bridal gown designer, Mr. Thurin has decided to open a retail space for his Thurin Atelier in downtown Princeton to showcase his couture bridal creations.
Thurin Atelier offers off-the-rack bridal wear plus a broad range of accessories, including shoes, jewelry, veils and more, all under Mr. Thurin’s name, and illustrating his eye for a fully turned out bride.
Brides will still be coddled and fitted for custom gowns in the back rooms of his retail shop, says Mr. Thurin, 40, a warm and charming man who everybody calls Ralph.
“It is like incorporating my fantasy and theirs and really making something special,” Mr. Thurin says of working with the brides.
In the past, women would bring shoes they’d come across, as well as jewelry and other accessories, seeking his approval on their bridal ensemble, Mr. Thurin says. “We decided last year, you know what, we can offer these things to our brides.”
Mr. Thurin has overseen the creation of Italian-made shoes, jewelry and other accessories he deems are up to his standards, which will bear the Thurin Atelier name. “This has become for me really a showcase of what I can do,” he says.
Mr. Thurin’s wife, Delfrance, oversees management, and his sister Martine oversees marketing for the expanded bridal atelier. All their efforts are directed toward swaddling brides in all-encompassing beauty for that special day.
“I think we’ll make many brides happy, I hope,” Mr. Thurin says. “That is my goal.”
Thurin Atelier, 210 Nassau St., Princeton; 609-924-2153; thurinatelier.com

Lisa Jones

Lisa Jones couldn’t have planned it any better in her dreams. Three years ago when she moved her eponymous Witherspoon Street home and fashion accessories shop closer to Nassau Street — from 72 to 16 Witherspoon Street — the space was smaller so she had to chose, fashion or home accessories. She chose fashion accessories.
Shoppers were always telling her “I miss your home store so much,” Ms. Jones says. “It was just customer after customer after customer.”
Then, earlier this year, a neighboring business in her building, Mike’s Barber Shop, closed suddenly, and Ms. Jones had the opportunity to annex that space. She struck a deal with her landlord and set about renovating. Now a newly expanded Lisa Jones is again offering both home and fashion accessories.
“I am just absolutely thrilled about the opportunity and the location,” Ms. Jones says. “I feel there is a very bright future out there. I have a wonderful customer base. It’s very exciting.”
Lisa Jones, 16 & 16 1/2 Nassau St., Princeton; 609-683-8002; lisajonesstyle.com

A Step in Stone

What you wear comes from boutique clothiers, what you eat and drink comes from boutique farms and wineries, so why shouldn’t the stone detailing in your home come from boutique quarries? A Step in Stone proprietors Jack and Darlene Flood think it should.
“We’ve expanded the showroom and we have sought out a great new line which includes stone from boutique quarries,” Ms. Flood says.
For their homes, customers can pick out examples of travertine marble, limestone and other stone from several small-volume, high-end quarries that A Step in Stone has developed exclusive relationships with.
“People don’t want what everyone else has, they want to distinguish themselves, and distinguish their homes,” Ms. Flood says. To help them do so, A Step in Stone is also offering unique lines of glass tiles and a custom metal line featuring specialty metal colors and handmade work from a West Virginia-based small business artisan metalworker.
The glass tiles are made by Sonoma Tilemakers, and come in a broad color palette. “What is great about them is their shape. They come in 1-by-2 arches, 1-by-2 herringbones, and rhomboids,” Ms. Flood says. There is even a hard-to-find 2-by-4-inch glass tile, she adds.
The members of A Step in Stone also are working with a glass company to develop an in-house line, with their own colors and patterns. “It will be our signature collection,” Ms. Flood says.
Step in Stone, 1149 Route 601, Skillman; 609-333-0610; astepinstone.com