Best $8 Lunch in LA

Kip and I don’t agree on much – when it comes to food.

I love tomatoes and mushrooms. He hates them.

I come from an English meat-and-potatoes kind of palate; he adores spicy anything and claims to have fallen in love with Tabasco sauce as a little Texan kindergartner.

He doesn’t like fruit or any kind of “mushy” vegetable which I find to be a total tragedy.

But living in a metropolitan area has expanded our culinary experiences and ushered in a little more dietary harmony. I have fallen madly in love with sushi. I enjoy most ethnic foods (as long as there are no mysterious pieces of meat or fat and bone in the sauce) and I tolerate much spicier food than I did six years ago.

But most importantly, Kip has discovered (as I have insisted all along) that avocados are heavenly in almost any possible dish or combination.

All this unnecessary blogging to lead into the amazing fact that we actually share the same favorite restaurant in LA and even the same favorite entrée there --- Chicken Tikka Masala at Akbar on Washington Blvd in Marina del Rey. It’s under $8 at lunch and by far the best Indian we have ever had – except maybe our friend Sanjeetha’s homemade Indian cuisine in Louisiana.

We try to squeeze in a lunch date a couple times a month at Akbar, usually while one of our kids is at an activity like soccer camp or girl scouts. It’s kind of a fun way to connect in the middle of the day, and makes the other kid feel special (or completely ignored if we get into talking with each other too much.)

And we really like supporting such a great neighborhood restaurant. The owner (who of course knows his biggest fan by name) has worked hard to keep menu prices low, despite increasing food and gas prices. So we want to make sure that our local friends don't overlook this little place.

Tell them Kip and Theresa sent you.