Valencia Street was quieting as I approached the less hopping southerly blocks, and my options were dwindling. I had to decide now or head home for my own Spartan cooking, boiled chicken, and a few episodes of Royal Pains. Not tonight. The fluorescent lights of one storefront beamed, urgently, as if to me directly, an indisputable beacon. I crossed the street diagonally. I would have dinner at Udupi Palace.
Read MoreMichelle Thomas artist