Eating at Long Island's Indian lunch buffets

The Curry Club's all-you-can-eat buffet. (March 20, 2013) Credit: Doug Young

By JOAN REMINICKjoan.reminick@newsday.comMarch 27, 2013

Here's a good way to spice up your lunch hour, sample some exotic dishes and eat until you can't go on: Ladle your way through an Indian buffet.

It's your call at these gently priced spreads. Stick with something tried and true, such as chicken tandoori, or get adventurous and go for the curried goat or bhindi masala (spicy, creamy okra). The buffet table holds condiments in colorful profusion, as well as soup, salad and basmati rice. Freshly baked flat bread -- nan or some variation -- is often delivered to your table, warm and glistening. To conclude, there's something sweet, like gulab jaman (honey balls) or rice pudding.

But wait. Before you lift the lid off that first dish, it's best to have an idea of how to navigate the territory ahead. Here are some tips:

1. The optimal time to hit the buffet table is around 12:30 p.m., the height of lunch hour. True, the place may be crowded, but the kitchen will be humming.

2. To learn what your favorites are, go around the table once and take tiny samples. Then, return and load up. Go for the dishes most recently replenished. And if something you want is nearly depleted, it's OK to ask a waiter to bring out more.

3. Ask the crew to describe dishes you're unfamiliar with; most are happy to introduce you to their cuisine.

4. Keep expectations realistic. When you're spending $9 to $13 for massive quantities of food, you're not going to experience a restaurant's tip-top capability.