It’s easy to be busy and suddenly become way too hungry to endure a wait to eat. Buffets and cafeterias and places where the chips and salsa are on the table immediately are for those times. Saturday was one of them, and India Kitchen was nearby.

Boldly opening south of the river and east of IH-35 a little more than a year ago, India Kitchen maintains its quality, cleanliness, and hospitality. The naan comes to the table hot from the oven and in generous portions. The chutneys taste freshly made. I skipped the goat and ate tiny samples only of the palak paneer (a sort of creamed spinach) and other dishes very rich in yogurt or clarified butter or both. The lamb kofta or meatballs were delicious. I thought that the rice was wonderful. My favorite favorite dish this time around was one made of yellow lentils (not chickpeas); the first bite seemed a bit bland, although the texture was perfect, but a second one began to reveal the complexity and pleasure of the seasoning. There were those who could not get enough of the onion pakore or fritters; my return visit to the biffet was for the dal (this one’s thin in texture, but extremely flavorful). Desserts that pleased those who sampled them were a type of rice pudding, a sweetened carrot dish, and watermelon wedges.

A neighbor reports that this is a good place for those who must observe gluten-free diets, that the owners will advise on ingredients and tailor dishes. Beer is available. Food may be picked up for takeout, and delivery is offered at certain hours within a radius from the restaurant.

We enjoyed the music on the sound system very much. So did a pair of visitors whose native language could not be determined, although they could speak both English and Spanish to an equal, sometimes not useful, extent. The owner offered to burn them a CD.

Here’s what Yelp reports; here’s my first report. All apart from the food, I still love those giant cloth napkins.