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Earlier this week I spent a couple of days in LA. I picked up my rental car on Tuesday afternoon and headed east toward my hotel. I considered my options for lunch — there were a couple of old haunts I hadn’t made it to on my last trip and a third that I’d been wanting to try. I weighed my options…
California Chicken Cafe — parking would be impossible during the lunch rush, and of course there it was – prime time.
Nook Bistro – an unknown quantity. Parking problem unknown, but it’s in a strip mall on Santa Monica Blvd. You do the math.
All India Cafe — parking would involve a trip down a spiral entrance into a garage and in my rental — a Buick LeSabre that seemed wider than a Mac truck.
I’m no risk taker, but I went for the death spiral parking garage. At lunch All India Cafe has a buffet, as you’d expect, but I opted for the Chicken Tikka lunch w/ all my favorites – the grilled chicken, the dal, the aloo mattar (that almost no No. Cal Indian places seem to have) and the naan. And of course the Indian Iced Tea – which All India serves with evaporated milk. Also can’t seem to find that in Indian restaurants up here, either. It’s always Lipton for some reason.
I had to forego ordering samosas – I forgot until my food actually came. Oh well, it would have been too much anyway. I had to park on the very bottom of the two levels, but it was worth every harrowing moment.