Time to hang up the spurs?

Two foods I love -- Mexican food and Indian food, converge on one glorious plate in a joint connected to the El Rey dubbed Cowboys and Indians. Sounds great, right? I've heard about this place for quite some time from former co-workers, since it's in the Miracle Mile area, blocks away from my old office. Tonight, I decided to give it a try for myself.

The menu -- and the concept -- looked interesting enough. You take the most well-known dishes from each country's cuisine and pair them together -- quesadillas filled with chicken tikka masala, basmati rice in a burrito filled with more masala items, fries. Indian street food, they call it. But perhaps it was the rowdy concert-going crowd that made this place lack its taste tonight. Or maybe it's the fact that it's fusion (and I'm not a big fan of fusion to begin with) that makes neither of the flavors I love in both Mexican and Indian cuisine pop in the foods I've tasted.

My friend got a chicken tikka masala naanwich (a sandwich made with Indian naan bread), with options of wheat, regular or garlic naan. I got some masala cheese fries for us to share, along with chicken tikka masala tacos. When asked what type of cheese was being put on the fries, I was told it was a monterey jack blend. I was hoping it'd be some interesting homemade Indian cheese they'd top with the tangy masala. While waiting for my food, I saw samosas and masalas being reheated in the microwave. Big turn off for me, but I guess I get it, as this place really defines "hole in the wall."

Chicken tikka masala taco, topped with some sour cream and tamarind sauce.

The naanwich was spicy, according to my friend, but I found my dishes to be quite bland for Indian food. I kept dipping the fries and my taco in the tamarind sauce from the makeshift sauce bar (located in the drink cooler). Oh, and did I mention there was one of those metal/plastic baggie ties in my fries, pretending to be a sliver of cheese? Right. Coming from a country where street food is literally consumed from hawker stands on the sidewalk, I picked it out and continued with my meal, but found it a bit off-putting.

Masala cheese fries, sans baggie tie

I'll give them the benefit of a doubt -- it was super busy because there was a concert tonight, and you make do with what you can for such a small place. But the prices were a bit astronomical for being street food. And to discover that the online menu has lower prices than the menu I ordered from today. $10 for their special -- chicken nuggets and fries. $10 for a quesadilla (when it says $7 on the online menu) and the same for a naanwich (when it says less AND with fries online). Is this because there was an event going on tonight? That's almost what I call airport/amusement park/movie theatre robbery.

If there wasn't a huge scrambling crowd, if no baggie tie were in my fries, if they offered a bigger selection of drinks (like maybe non-bottled water gratis) would I try it again? Perhaps....

Cowboys & Turbans - 5515 Wilshire Blvd., next to the El Rey

Last long weekend of the summer...

Labor Day marks the quintessential end of summer, and the beginning of fall. No more wearing white (not that I did much of that to begin with...). This summer has been anything but breezy, but I must say, I've had some great food adventures that I can't wait to share. Spent this weekend in the Bay area, a great place to be when LA is a scorching 100+ degrees, depending where in the area you are.

Finally going to try the Alibi Room this week with a new friend (thank you, Elliot for the tip! :)

And if you are in LA this weekend, check out the Contemporary Korean art exhibit tomorrow at LACMA. It's the last free holiday Monday, so don't miss it! :)

Moving.....

Pretty soon, I'll get to pass this on my way to work everyday...

After three years for working at my company, our office is moving further east, to Miracle Mile. To me, it's a whole different territory. While I'm happy for the move and the change, it means another 20 mins on Wilshire Blvd. in the mornings, and that after-work romps to Sawtelle for dinner may prove to be more of a challenge, since it will be further.

I'm trying to look on the bright side of things, and the many many things to look forward to on that side of Wilshire Blvd. I'll be closer to Pulp for one, so it'll be easier to make an after-work stop. The LACMA will be much closer and I'll get a chance to visit more often and pass by that beautiful art of collected streetlamps on my way home...it's sort of refreshing.

Red Mango will now be down the street and I'm soooo excited upon realizing this today! Red Mango is actually the original yogurt shop for which Pinkberry's yogurt shop was based on -- Pinkberry had beat them to the punch here in the states, but I must admit, I am

in love with Red Mango. They have a bigger variety in cereals and toppings, and the green tea tastes more like green tea. I will go back to Pinkberry every so often because there's more locations for one, and also because I've grown a liking to that coffee flavor (when it's mixed with the original).

Another great find that I'm very excited about is Andre's. I grew up with this restaurant, and I love their Veal Parmigiana, their baked chicken with mushroom sauce, and their caesear salad. It's not fancy or pretty or like any Italian cuisine. It's actually a cafeteria style restaurant that's been serving the community for years and years -- since I was a kid! A lot of senior citizens and blue collar workers dine there for their great prices, but they also have great simple food. Their daily specials are great, and you can have an entree, the salad, a slice of garlic bread, and a drink for about $10. It's cash only, though, so be well armed. It really is a find, since it's in the plaza on the corner of 3rd and Fairfax Ave. (where the Whole Foods and KMart are....long before the Whole Foods existed) deep inside the makeshift food court.

It's been a bit nostalgic and wistful packing up the office, but I'm excited (and a bit stressed) about our move. I can't wait to see my new office on Monday! :)