Tacos and Tandoori, Birria and Bengan Bharta, in the same restaurant

A few weeks ago, I went with my son and grandkids to the Sunday Mexican buffet at La Hacienda Santa Fe(811 S. 3rd St,) in downtown Renton. I'd gone there more regularly when it was simply called La Hacienda, and it's something of a downtown Renton institution, having been a Mexican restaurant for over thirty years. It was the original location of the Torero's chain. It was La Hacienda for 20+ years, then Javier sold it ,and it became La Hacienda Santa Fe, it became more expensive and not as good. Then Javier took it back, and then resold it again. So we went for the buffet, and it was pretty good, and not too expensive. I mentioned to my son that a couple of the employees appeared to be Indian(Mumbai, not Navajo), but he dismissed it, saying that some people from Mexico and some people from India look alike.
Then another week goes by, and I'm walking on S 3rd St, downtown Renton's main drag, and see a sign for a new weekday Indian lunch buffet at the Aasthaa Indian Cuisine restaurant, and it's the same address as La Hacienda. I walk by, and notice there are two signs up, one for Aasthaa and one for La Hacienda Santa Fe, and the website and facebook page indicates that it is multiple cuisines under one roof.
I like Indian food and haven't yet tried Aasthaa's. I also like weird fusion cuisine. Downtown Seattle used to have a French and Japanese restaurant. Downtown Renton used to have an awesome Thai and Japanese restaurant, and north Seattle used to have a place called Marco Polo, which was Middle Eastern, Pakistani, and Italian( and was also great). A couple of decades ago in Seattle's Central District, Mac Benny's was a terrific BBQ joint, which also served Matzoh Ball soup and in house smoked pastrami sandwiches. Mac had lived in NYC and worked in a deli, developing a taste for the food.
So I like this sort of thing, and will be back to try the Indian food. I'm not sure how long they can pull off having two cuisines. It can't be an easy task.  And there's competition for both Indian and Mexican cuisine in Renton. Within a couple of miles of downtown Renton is Naan and Curry, Pabla, Spice King, Himalaya, and now Aasthaa. May they all thrive.

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