Indian Buffets

All You Can Eat

by Sam Tremble

Karma's lunch buffet is more than just a curried happy hour special. Naan, a soft Indian bread similar to pita, is served fresh at your table, so give the fork a rest and use it to scoop up the chef's special kashmir pulao and chana peshawari. It's absorbent and durable, like a very tasty paper towel.

It's not a buffet yet, but the folks at Nanee are planning a move to a bigger space because their current kitchen can only accommodate four pots. Still, limitations breed creativity, which led to the invention of Nanee's veggie kofta, a spicy "meatball" made with zucchini, lentils, almonds, cashews, coconut and sesame seeds. They also bottle flavored lassis, or cold yogurt shakes.

Running for 20 years and counting, New Delhi is the grandaddy of Indian buffets. Guests load up on gobi masala and kari pakora (fritters soaked in a chickpea lemon sauce) while dining amidst tapestries depicting Indian love stories. The bar also serves two imported beers: Taj Mahal, a menacing 22-ounce lager, and Kingfisher, a more accessible 12-ouncer.

The South Street location boasts "hand-held" takeout, so Lovash may be one of the only Indian joints to offer sandwiches, made with naan and stuffed with vegetables, lamb or chicken. The recent addition of a lunch buffet serves as a bold drawing point, giving restless consumers good reason to sit while they eat.

Deal with it: We're living in a post-Samosa era. But with Passage to India only a block away from the defunct veg buffet, acceptance comes more easily. Passage's chicken tikka masala is almost always offered, and the papadam deserves a spot on every plate. If you still can't shake the feeling that you're betraying a lover, smother your sorrow with a hefty helping of chana masala.