India, via Silverlake

Though sadly not named for the 1982 title track from Congolese musician King Kester Emeneya (or is it?!?), Naya is an upscale Indian eatery in Silverlake (opening tonight!) designed by the dude who did Mohawk Bend, with cushy white banquettes, a patio laden with mad foliage, and a kitchen headed up by a chef who's merging traditional recipes with modern techniques.

Food's unsurprisingly got a cold fusion-y vibe, with more-out-there options including a samosa stuffed w/ kidney beans & nacho cheese; filet mignon breakfast curry w/ garlic mashed potatoes; and tandoori monkfish, which insists you kindly separate it from the side dishes before it freaks the hell out. If you're all, "Damn, I always eat nacho cheese-stuffed samosas", they've got other stuff like dusted seared tuna w/ roasted-cumin coriander & avocado raita; Everest lamb ossobuco w/ a rich onion-tomato demiglaze; and coconut moile baby eggplant w/ risotto, coconut-curry sauce, and mustard-chili, which you'd probably be smart to avoid getting in your Left Eye.

If you're all, "Fine, I lied, I want that nacho cheese samosa, but now it's making me crazy thirsty", they've got a full bar featuring themed specialty cocktails like the Laphroaig/ pineapple/ simple syrup/ lime/ mint "Relapse", and the rye/ Cointreau/ lychee/ pomegranate "Dancing Lotus", also what King Kester called the car he bought with the royalties from all those club bangers.