Lunch buffet

Located within a thriving downtown business lunch area, India Mahal’s $8.99 buffet is quick, tasty, and absolutely unbeatable. Warm, authentic, and fresh Indian food that gives you gas within minutes — that’s what makes this Tacoma lunch meal the real deal.

The item that made this entire meal worth every bite? The item that had its own bowl alongside my metal plate? The item I went back for time and time again and slathered on every spoonful was India Mahal’s Mint Chutney.  Holy Toledo, Batman!  Hot, and yummy. — Steph DeRosa

[India Mahal Restaurant, 823 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.5700]

Avocado Salad

Fresh salads and creative sushi have always made finding a parking spot near TwoKoi Japanese Cuisine worth the effort as I stop in from time to time just to get another fill on one of my favorite sushi joints. On my last visit, my server, Jennifer, poured me a cool Kirin Ichiban and let me explore one very beautiful avocado salad. A perfectly ripe and deliciously buttery avocado cradles chunks of fresh tuna and salmon sashimi while nestled atop a bed of julienned Daikon. TwoKoi’s jalapeño mayonnaise is lightly drizzled throughout this incredibly delectable salad, adding the ideal punch to an entrée that teeters upon the lines of excellence. Although small in size, there’s substantial heartiness lurking within TwoKoi’s avocado salad. — SD

[TwoKoi Japanese Cuisine, 1552 Commerce St., Tacoma, 253.274.8999]

Tightwad Tuesday

One would think that a plate of $2 tacos would be little more than some sort of meat matter slapped between some sort of corn matter. That would not be the case at Tightwad Tuesday at Hell’s Kitchen. The tacos actually have flavor and rival the heft of something at Taco Del Mar. And of course the tacos weighed in at about a pound each. Yes, that is $2 for two tacos, not one. Grubbing eats.

The tacos are one-third of the Kitchen’s regular Tuesday deals. The other two-thirds includes $2 beers and $2 wells. — Steve Dunkelberger

[Hell’s Kitchen, every Tuesday, 5 p.m., 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]