I first fell in love with Indian food while working at a company in
West Hollywood and my boss, who was a true asshole with excellent taste
in food, always ordered lunches from Anarkali. I would drive to pick
up the large order for practically everyone in the office, and savored
the few minutes I spent inside there while waiting for the food.
Anarkali's low ceilings and uber-decorative booths offered a sweet
escape from my days at work. And they always gave me free beer, which
I would give to the head of the company because I was still 18 and not quite ready to drink on the job.
The array of foods on the table in the center of the office would bring everyone together and I slipped in and out of taste bud sensations. I had never liked Indian food, until Anarkali. Then I started eating it all the time. It worked perfectly for my family because now they didn't have to wait until I wasn't home for dinner before ordering Indian. I still remember the styrofoam platters (a rare allowance for my mother) lined up across the kitchen counter as everyone served themselves buffet style.