Day 24 - Forced to Eat Out on a Saturday Night

First, I have to apologize to the plumber for referring to him as the @#$%^&! plumber. When called yesterday early afternoon, he came immediately, diagnosed the problem, fetched the parts he needed, and fixed the problem. By 3 o'clock almost all was well. Except that the water to the house was turned off and could not be turned on again for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Sigh. No cooking was going to be happening.

So, we rushed into SLO to see the movie, Men Who Stare at Goats, which was pretty funny. After which we bought cat food and kitty litter at my favorite pet store, Petsmart. Petsmart in SLO is very well managed. Unlike many other pet shops, they are ALWAYS fully stocked with everything I need, and usually have several additional things that I merely want. Plus, they assist various local cat rescue groups in placing kitties in permanent homes. And, it's a sparkling clean store, which I much appreciate.

After which, we were forced to eat dinner out. We chose Shalimar in SLO, a newer Indian restaurant. Prompt, cheerful service. A homey, comfortable atmosphere complete with Indian music videos playing on a big screen TV at the front. I thought that was a wonderful touch. My shish kabob and Randy's chicken biryana were both excellent. The garlic naan left something to be desired. It was kind of tough. Over-kneaded perhaps? Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and we'll definitely be going back. I had to admit to the manager that we are spoiled since we eat at Ajanta in Berkeley frequently. Randy, who has been to India and is generally a big fan of Indian food (we try Indian restaurants everywhere we go) has concluded that Ajanta is the best Indian restaurant. Period. The best. He frequently cooks from the Ajanta cookbook, much to my delight. I think it's the best Indian recipe book. The best. Period.

Stalling, we had lattes and madelines at my favorite Starbuck's on the way home, turned the water on at 9:45 p.m., happily discovering that the repair was securely holding. I wonder how Alice feels about those chicken leg quarters being salted and peppered TWO days before braising?

More later.