Himalayas? Been or want to go?

If you can’t travel to the Himalayas, the next best thing is to eat Himalayan cuisine.

The Taste of the Himalayas Restaurant in Sausalito, California is the closest I’ve been to Nepal since I returned two years ago.  Serving Nepali, Tibetan and Indian dishes, the restaurant is one of three in the Bay Area.The other locations are in Berkeley and Sonoma, where there are large communities of Nepalese.

Three Nepali siblings, two sisters Dawa, Pasang, and their brother  Pemba Thendup Sherpa were born and raised in the foothills of the Himalayas and have many relatives in Namche Bazaar.

When I asked if Dawa knew Psang Kami, our trekking guide and good friend, who accompanied us in 1988, she smiled and said, “yes, he’s my uncle.”  What a small world. We shared updates on who has had children, and who lives in Kathmandu.

The intimate restaurant combines hospitality from Nepal and the freshness of seafood, produce and  ingredients from California. I devoured wild salmon curry and Gregg, my friend ate every last drop of his vegetarian paneer (soft cheese) with curry.

www.tasteofthehimalayas.com