A Calm Evening At Cowboys And Turbans

Last week, my friend and I headed over to Silverlake to dine at a lovely Indian-Mexican fusion cafe called Cowboys And Turbans. I had been there once before and had a wonderful experience. This time, we were guided to the outdoor patio, which did not exist on my previous visit. The air was crisp and fresh and had a stillness to it, allowing both of us to feel calm and relaxed. Furthermore, this enabled us to enjoy the food even more, appreciating the variety of flavors in each dish.

Since we had a groupon voucher for $15 for $35 worth of food and drink, we ordered a lot of food, since the food is inexpensive. Luckily, we both had immense appetites and somehow were able to finish everything.

While we made up our minds about what to order, we placed an order for a Jumbo Vegetable Samosa ($4.50), which came out fairly quickly.

The samosa was very good. It was huge and quite possibly the largest samosa I've seen in my life. The pastry exterior was perfectly deep-fried and so crispy. It had a slightly sweet flavor to contrast the mildly spiced interior of soft, delicate assorted vegetables. It had a strong taste of peas and potatoes, which were very well-seasoned. The accompanying sauce was very sweet, with a slight spice.

Next, we had some Aloo Gobi tacos ($6).

These were so amazing and truly combined flavors from Indian and Mexican traditional cuisine. The taco shells were soft and lightly cooked and were filled with a delectable aloo gobi curry. The curry was mildly spicy, yet had a sweet taste. The cauliflower and potatoes were so well-seasoned and tasted so luscious. The taste of ginger was very dominant, which matched the subtle taste of sweet tomatoes beautifully.

Next, we had a Saag Tofu burrito ($11).

This burrito was also very large, and similar to the tacos, was a great representation of the combination of the best flavors from both Indian and Mexican cuisines. The burrito was well cooked, yet soft and filled with a delectably moderately spiced Indian curry. The savory, slightly chewy tofu was bathed in a tomato, ginger masala sauce that had a subtle sweetness, which prevented it from tasting too spicy. The accompanying chips provided a great crispiness that contrasted the softness of the burrito very well. I only wish there was some salsa to dip them into.

Next, we had Indian Farmer's Dal ($10).

This was also good and was the spiciest of all the dishes. The lentils were cooked perfectly and were very soft and smooth. The dish had a slight creaminess to it. There was some chewy spinach interspersed, which enhanced the texture of the dish very well. There was also a light ginger taste, which complemented the spices beautifully.

We also had some garlic naan ($3.50) made vegan to tone down the spiciness of the food a bit.

I really did not enjoy this bread and would not recommend ordering it. Despite that it was well-coated in garlic and spices, the bread somehow tasted very bland and was overly chewy. The taste of whole wheat was very dominant and the naan had a slightly bitter taste.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the food, with the exception of the naan, and found myself very full and satisfied. We had quite the feast for just $12 a person, including tax and tip. Everything was so flavorful and while many of the dishes tasted similar, they were still unique from offerings at other restaurants. I do not know of any other Indian-Mexican fusion restaurants, especially any with so many Vegan options. I will definitely be back and am hoping they will be offering up another deal soon. Regardless, the food is very affordable and a deal is unnecessary, although quite useful.