Tara's Himalayan Cuisine

In Short
A lively, arty neighborhood crowd from Palms and Venice creates a bright chatter in this yak-butter yellow room adorned with Tibetan Buddhist sculptures, prayer flags and photos of Mt. Everest. Beautiful Tibetan-Nepali women roll dumplings as you enter, greeting you with warm smiles as the fragrant scent of herbs and spices mixes with the pungent smell of sizzling lamb and chicken on stone plates. Surfers, shoppers or sherpas will find the authentic and rustic Himalayan/Nepali/Indian cuisine both exotic and comforting. A big vegetarian selection includes okra curry, potato with black-eyed peas and bamboo shoots and vegetable ''momo'' (Tibetan dumplings). If you've got more carnivorous inclinations, stewed and sizzling meats include charcoal-roasted lamb, chicken vindaloo, shrimp tandoori and a hearty yak meat sherpa stew. (Yes, that's right. Yak meat.)