Stop making sense

As the theater editor of the greatest alternative newsweekly in the universe, I got caught up the other day in a quote from a late actor whose stuff I admired even while in my teens. “Playwrights,” Peter Ustinov once said, “are like men who have been dining for a month in an Indian restaurant. After eating curry night after night, they deny the existence of asparagus.” I took that in and took it in and took it in; when I was done taking it in, I took it in some more. My due diligence comported exactly with my inestimable respect for Ustinov’s legacy, leading me to conclude that I have absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

Except for the Indian-restaurant part. Now, that I know, having been a major fan of South Asian cuisine even while in my teens. I didn’t live in San Diego at that point, so I don’t know if Tandoor Indian Cuisine was around. But if it was, it’s a cinch the staff hasn’t raised its prices since then. This Mission Valley eatery must double as a bookie joint, since it can’t be making money serving its exquisite lamb curry for $7.79 and its saag shrimp with spinach and herbs for $8.99. Its keema bread specialty, complete with lamb stuffing, rounds out the perfect meal at a pathetic $3.49. You’ll find no appetizer for more than $7.69 here—and a mere $1.30 more will get you into the Saturday dinner buffet or the Sunday brunch.

Playwrights would love this place, since there doesn’t seem to be much call for asparagus on the menu. They (and you) are welcome at 5608 Mission Center Road seven days a week between 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. (phone is 619-497-0751). As for Ustinov, don’t spend a lot of time on his “curry” thing. I’ve seen close to 900 plays in my career, and I have yet to run into a script about it.