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Food Feuds: Which Curry Row Light Show Got the Bored to Death Treatment?

A few weeks ago, the Local revisited that old chestnut: Which of the Indian restaurants on First Avenue near 6th Street (you know, the ones with the elbow-tugging sidewalk barkers) was the first to go crazy with all the Christmas lights? Just like they told the Times back in 1999, the owners of both Milon and its neighbor Panna II each claimed to be the first. This much is certain: Panna II is the one that’s been graced by Anthony Bourdain’s presence, but on Sunday, one of the restaurants received an (equally?) honorable distinction. In the latest episode of Bored to Death, Jason Schwartzman met a client in one of them. But which one?

No surprise: Phoning the restaurants yielded no definitive answer. When we called Milon, we were told that yes, that’s where the scene was shot. But then we called Panna II, and were told it was the restaurant where the scene was shot. When we told Panna’s employee that the folks over at Milon felt differently, he corrected himself: “It was both.” It’s true that an exterior shot shows both, but which one did Schwartzman actually enter? Ajay Naidu, who appeared in the Relish scene as well as a scene shot at the Curry Row restaurant in question, tells us it was the place on the left — and so the win goes to Milon. NYU freshmen, you can make your next dining decision accordingly.

Related: Bored to Death Recap: Another Degree of Kevin Bacon

Food Feuds: Which Curry Row Light Show Got the Bored to Death