Here’s a neat idea that may just catch on.

At the bottom of a luxury condominium high-rise, across from the Just a Dollar Budget Food Store, a few steps off the rail line, there is a sign hanging from a new downtown restaurant on Main near Walker that sums up the kind of city Houston has become.

“Bombay Pizza Co.,” it says, announcing the name of owner Viral Patel's strange, brave fusion concept that's right at home in our megalopolis melting pot.

(Yes, he's putting cumin and coriander in the marinara, and cilantro and tandoori chicken on the pie. And it's delicious.)

Just below the name, it reads: “The Original.”

Right now, it's the only. But Patel, like thousands of other moms and pops across this entrepreneurial haven, has big dreams: “This is the first of 3,000 to come,” he likes to say. Judging by the rave reviews and returning customers, Patel just might be right.

“The minute we walked in here, I thought, ‘This is what you'd expect in New York City,' ” said Suman Annambhotla, a 31-year-old medical resident who was waiting on a takeout order over lunch.

He and his wife, Pallavi, 30, both Indian-Americans, said they appreciate the fresh take on the cuisine, and the fact that they don't have to drive to Hillcroft or the suburbs to get it. But it represents more than a good place to eat: “It opens the doors now, lets people see Indian food and culture in a different way,” Pallavi says.

Pizzas, just one option on the extensive menu, range from “The Slumbog,” a rowdy mix of meats, onions and jalapeños, and the all-vegetarian saag paneer with greens and goat cheese. Patel has named dishes for family and friends, including one who bought him the business plan software in 2004 that got him thinking about starting his own business.

An Indian/Italian fusion restaurant? Only in America, my friends!

I think I may have to make my way to 914 Main Street in Houston some afternoon and give it a try.