2 FOR $20

If San Diego were a set of bedclothes, El Cajon Boulevard would be the quilt, and a crazy one at that. The place is loopy with commercial, spatial, historical and ethnic components that complement one another one minute and defy reason the next. Pawn shops, car dealerships, schools, libraries, grocery stores, restaurants, Laundromats: They may or may not pop up when you most or least expect-and that's the cultural beauty of this venerable old roadway.

Awash, for example, is an Ethiopian restaurant sandwiched between some car-audio stores and a Vietnamese-run thrift shop. You'd walk right by it on any ordinary day, unless it was lunchtime and you were ready for some sega wat (that's lamb stew to you and me) or a yemiser salatta (lentil salad)-but one look at the price ($9.16 total) and you're immediately persuaded you've come to the right place. The stew is moist and salty, which is to say it won't need any embellishment from the shaker-same with the salad (and presumably the other menu items, which include fish and chicken and plenty of vegetarian options). The entrées come complete with side orders of injera, a porous bread for sopping and serving (the Ethiopians eat by hand). And if you're a coffee drinker, your stock just went through the roof. The beverage is serious business in Ethiopia (a traditional coffee ceremony marks the culture's hospitality), and the stuff at Awash is absolutely stellar.

Awash is located at 4979 El Cajon Blvd. and is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily; the number is 619-583-9225. Be prepared for a cultural experience amid the good food and airy décor-the kind you'll find in San Diego only along its uniquely unpredictable expanse.