Is it possible to eat in a restaurant offering vegetarian cuisine (and a special "Healthy Dining Menu") and walk out feeling like you've just spent the last hour or so in one of San Diego's finest gourmet restaurants? The answer is yes, (but, of course, you already knew that). All one has to do is to drop by the Cafe India, at 3760-5 Sports Arena Blvd. Open seven days a week (from noon until 10 pm), the owners Shab and Meera Srivastava offer: authentic decor, Indian music played in the background, lots of vegetarian entrees (Shakahari Bhojan), non-vegetarian entrees (Mansahari Bhojan), a vegetarian buffet, thirteen different kinds of bread, appetizers, Indian tea, Indian beers, and a wine menu (lest we not forget).
The day we dropped by for lunch, I selected the vegetarian lunch buffet which on that day included curried potatoes, tofu and vegetables, chick peas, lentils and rice, mild spiced rice, and a delicious aromatically spiced red lentil soup. A raita (cucumber in yogurt), a hot salsa and mixed pickles were available as side dishes, and an option of chicken curry was available for $2.00 extra. My dining partner had the Chicken Saag, which is a chicken curry with fresh spinach, served over white rice. The restaurant allows the customer to choose the degree of spicy "heat" a dish will have, from mild to extra hot to please the American palate. A "medium hot" request resulted in a moderately spiced dish, which was a perfect balance between spice and curry flavor. We finished our lunch with a savory, hot and spicy Indian tea. The prices for lunch were very reasonable.
There is a saying in India, "Namaste" which is the equivalent of the Hawaiian "Aloha", signifying both hello and goodby. It was evident after we left, there would be many more "Namastes" at the Cafe India.
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