57772 Wed Jan 07 14:47:57 -0800 2004 2 2 Los Angeles Area 0 301853 I am not the best one to judge Indian food, since I never have it that frequently and don't really know what authentic Indian food is. Experience has been limited to places back on the East Coast. But boyfriend decided that he wanted it, so we met his parents there for dinner Monday night. It is a warm restaurant, colour-wise, and attractively decorated. Prettier than many Indian restaurants I've been to. Service is pleasant and prompt-ish, although if they see you're deep in discussion, they'll keep on walking (which has its good side and its bad). Water refills come promptly. *Plain and Garlic Naan - Preferred the plain to the garlic, which actually didn't have that much flavour at all. Plain also came straight out of the kitchen, steamy warm and yummy, while the garlic wasn't quite as warm. Came with two little pots of condiments, a green one that was vaguely basil-ish and a darker brown that was sweet. (Yes, am lacking highly in Indian food terminology) *Spinach fritters - a little spicy, definitely tasty. *another appetizer that had something and chickpeas scattered atop. Even though I didn't know what it was, I really liked it. (Really wish I had paid more attention to the menu, too) *Chicken Tandoori - It came sizzling atop its hot plate to our table. Very tasty and tender. *Chicken Saag - Not as much spinach in the sauce as I'm used to, otherwise it was very good *Lamb Vindaloo - I rather liked this dish as well, it was a touch spicy but not overly so. *Raita - this too was good, and went well with the naan *Saffron rice with peas - nice alternative to plain white rice. Tasty, even though I don't like peas all that much. I rather enjoy this place, even if I'm not the biggest fan of Indian food in general. Everything tastes good, and it's a pleasant space to dine in. (And that concludes this weekend's dining. Whew.) Wed Jan 07 14:47:57 -0800 2004 0 jacinthe 1 301863 Thanks for taking the time to write all the reviews. You provided lots of information in a really thoughtful manner. Very enjoyable to read. Wed Jan 07 15:23:56 -0800 2004 301853 0 Debbie 1 301886 Sounds like you had an over-all positive experience; there's a bunch more opportunities out there. I urge you to give India's Oven a try, and, for the time being, ask'em to keep the spicing at the "mild" range (A warning, since you said you were not fully familiar with the terminology: "vindaloo" tendds to be the hot end of most metro area Indian places' spice range,and some waiters and chefs interpret an order for any "vindaloo" from a non-Indian as an invite to crank up the pepper quotient). Then, when you've worked through their, and Ambala Dhaba's menu and you're ready, take a run at the "Little Bombay" strech of Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. RFGS Wed Jan 07 16:50:32 -0800 2004 301853 0 Silverlake Grouch