When we travel to India, nuts and towels are always appreciated. Costco has a great selection of both. There used to be an artisan olive oil shop on fourth street near Restoration Hardware. I've found that, even with people who don't cook, an infused olive oil is a great gift. Have fun on your trip

You know, it's very common on pizzas in England. My cousins favorite pizza is corn, Serrano chilis and tuna. It doesn't taste as bad as it sounds

I like pastries by Edie on Sherman Way. I've had great cakes and pastries from them. I think they have bread and other baked goods, but I haven't tried those yet. The pastries are divine

Sounds like you had a great meal! The pictures make me jealous

PG tips make a house a home

Whenever we've driven to and from the bay area on the 5, we've always stopped at Harris Ranch. This is particularly noteworthy given that we are a bunch of vegetarians. I think that you are better off sticking w in'n'out

Panjabi here too!
Chole bhatture (garbanzo beans & fried dough

Stouffers tuna casserole is my comfort food

I understand why you might think this way given umami's relationship to Japanese cuisine, but umami is present in other foods such as Parmesan cheese. It always amuses me to hear my Indian family complain about their MSG allergies, yet have no problems eating dishes cooked with dried mango powder.

If they are talking about Drummond Street, then I think that they may be talking about either Diwana's or chutney's. Chutney's began in the 90s and has steadily declined. Diwana's was around during the 70s and has been an old friend (we used to go there when we dropped my aunt off at Euston). If you go to Drummond Street, Ambala's Sweet House may be worth trying for their laddoo. Veeraswamy was great in 2001 but a bittersweet experience for my Dad, who immigrated in the 60s. Happy hunting experience & I hope you get to eat a lot of tasty food!

The only reason to have fish & chips is malt vinegar

We had mother's day lunch at Mantee in Studio City. It's a Mediterranean restaurant with lots of options. The service was great and the food was awesome

I think that you are being optimistic. It is possible to sit for an hour in the car and not get very far

Sorry, I wasn't referring to anything bad about the food, just my lack of cooking skills! With practice, I have gotten better

Hmmm...I think cooking is supposed to render food more digestible and make it easier to absorb its nutrients. However, I know I have made meals that have hastened rather than delayed my death.

CTM or chicken tikka masala. Usually under seasoned sauce with dry chicken that's been cooked to death. I have had some really good ones,. But, in general, I find it to be a lackluster dish.

I went to Flemings, lately and the wine menu was on an iPad. It was very helpful because you could search for what you wanted in so many different ways: price, country, varietal, etc.

And Britain a former Roman & Viking colony 8-).

As much as Puerto Rico is a US territory. France can pretend it Paris & Reunion Island are the same thing but the only reason French is spoken on the island is because of the historical legacies of colonialism. I just wanted to point out that their may be historical reasons for for certain "fusion" cuisines.

I would call Hawaii a former British colony & a present day US colony...

Back in the day, we had Chinese & pizza at Nerula's (sp?) in Dehli. At that time, we thought it was great. The brand Maggi was created in Switzerland by a man who wanted Swiss people to have more vegetables in their diet. it's a brand that I tend to associate with Indian & SE Asian countries. I find the way food travels fascinating and think it has a lot to do with immigration history. Often, we only think of the relationship between metropoles and their former colonies. But, I ate at a restarant that specialized in food from Reunion Island. The island was inhabited by the descendants of Indian laborers but was also a former French colony. The food reflected all of these influences.

My mother always made rhubarb crumble or apple and rhubarb crumble with custard.

I like cafe Stella for the eggs & French toast. The patio is amazing, too. I love Bludso's but I have yet to try its newer incarnation in Hollywood. And I really enjoy the chettinadu chicken & kothu paroda at valley India cafe

Does anyone know where I can find West Lake Beef Soup? I used to have it all the time in the Bay Area. I would prefer some place in the SFV, but I can travel further if necessary.

TIA

And THE valley is the wasteland (especially the Porter Ranch/ Granada Hills area)! There was some dragonfruit at the Galleria market on Reseda.

What I don't understand is why you read posts that are on topics you feel have been covered. Nobody is forcing you to read those posts.

I've been to Frontera Grill and it was good. Good, not great. He did the exact same thing when he came to Los Angeles for the opening of Red O. He claimed to be bringing real Mexican food to LA. There is a good variety of regional Mexican cuisine here and he completely dismissed it

I really like The Habit's onion rings. They are always nice and crispy.

I find them a bit sweet but I will make a base of tomatoes, garlic, onions and any other vegetables I think would be suitable. Then I sauté them and add a couple of table spoons of the jarred sauce & water. It only takes about 25 mins for me. I also like the house brand for WF. I think it's only $3

I've been amazon ordering canned food for my Aunt who doesn't live that close to any Indian stores and needed something that she could heat & eat. So far, she's really liked the jyoti brand. She adds a little salt & spice. She has tried the saag, rajmah, daal makhani & chole.