Tikka trip to Cafe 203!
Tucked away in Main Street’s Best Western is a surprising culinary treat: Indian restaurant Café 203. Hotel General Manager Brent Cooley explained that Best Western owner Jay Bharat also owns an Indian catering food company in Los Angeles, which made choosing Indian cuisine for the hotel restaurant a no-brainer.
Curry bases are cooked up at the catering food company’s headquarters in L.A., for consistency as well as better access to ingredients (Cooley said it’s hard enough trying to get staples like dal delivered to Mammoth).
And, “Because they tend to cater more to Indians, the curries are more traditional,” he said. Everything else, from veggies to meats to sides, is cooked up at the Best Western location by Chef Martha Ramos.
Ramos said she’s been working in Mammoth restaurants for 14 years. Before that, she was a cook in L.A.
From left: Server John Truax, Cook Gabriel Osnaya and Chef Martha Ramos. Photo courtesy: Sheet staff.
“I have 26 years of experience, so I can do any job in the restaurant business,” she said. Indian food “is really good to cook, and it’s so healthy,” she said; “you’re healthy when you eat it.”
Ramos’ favorite dishes: Dal Makhani, a rich, filling dish made from black lentil, red kidney beans, butter and cream; Chicken Tikka Masala, or roasted chunks of chicken in a spicy sauce; and Muttar Paneer, a vegetarian dish of peas and homemade cheese in a tomato-based sauce.
Ramos said the menu has changed since she began working at Café 203 four and a half years ago to include more curry dishes, including vegetarian and vegan options.
“We have a lot more selection now,” Cooley agreed. “We have both traditional and twists on traditional. Some are tangy; some are spicy; others really aren’t hot at all.”
His favorite dishes: Taro Tikka, which is “really interesting” for its use of the nutrient-rich root vegetable; and a curry not found on the menu, of sweet potato, green peas, and spices.
Cooley also added that, unbeknownst to many locals and visitors, Best Western has some of the best beer and wine prices in town. “It’s surprising that people don’t just come in for a beer and a bowl of curry,” he said.
He acknowledged that Café 203 is slightly off the beaten path: “People have a hard enough time finding the hotel,” he laughed. But this side trip is worth it, for a taste of flavors not found anywhere else in Mammoth.
Café 203 is open seven days a week, from 5 to 9 p.m.
