NOTE: The restaurant serves a daily lunch buffet. The Buzz: This vegetarian Indian restaurant pays homage to the many eclectic cuisines of India, but standouts include dishes from the southern region of the country. On Your Plate: The hefty menu can be difficult to navigate, so the restaurant maintains a helpful list of the most popular items and their locations on the menu. Idli, steamed cake made out of fermented rice and lentil flour, rightfully earns top prize. Start with an appetizer of the fried chili pakora or lentil dumplings. For those accustomed to standard Indian offerings, paneer masala is a vegetarian take on chicken masala, simmering tofu-like cheese in an aromatic, spice-laden curry. The voluminous menu offers dishes from across India, including over a dozen large crunchy crepe-like dosas stuffed with fillings like butter masala, potato and onion curry or chutneys. Hot and tangy Manchurian Indo-Chinese dishes and uthappam pancakes also grace the menu. Rice, the staple of Southern Indian cuisine, receives notable preparations in biryanis as well as with fresh coconut and in a bright dish with lemon juice with peanuts. There is no alcohol, but the menu offers soft drinks and lassi yogurt drinks. Nice to Know: During lunch, the extensive buffet sprawls over three counters with numerous chutneys and appetizers, curries, a variety of Indo-Chinese rice and noodle dishes and desserts. In this family-friendly spot, kids can order from a special menu for between $4 and $5.50 that comes with a special dessert. Price Points: Unlike many local Indian restaurants, this is a bargain. Dishes rarely top $9 and the lunch buffet checks in at $10.99 per person. -- Erin Hartigan (May 2007)
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