Indian choices on the rise

Have you noticed that the fall air is particularly fragrant this year? It just might be the aromas of masala spices wafting from all the new Indian restaurants in the area.

In the spanking new Grace Park Village in Morrisville, Café Curryleaves (6105 Grace Park Drive; 467-2600; www.curryleaves.com) offers an all-vegetarian menu with a twist. Weekdays at lunchtime (except Tuesdays, when Café Curryleaves is closed), the cheery counter service eatery offers a variety of Indian-spiced sandwiches, panini, veggie burgers, subs and wraps on freshly baked naan bread. In the evenings and on weekends, the offering expands to include traditional Southern Indian fare and a varied selection of the popular Indian snacks known as chaat. On Saturday and Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, a special breakfast menu offers a sampling of southern Indian specialties. And for the sweet tooth, there's an assortment of the locally hard-to-find Kwality brand Indian ice creams and kulfi.

If it's the more familiar flavors of northern India you're seeking, you'll find them at Zayka Indian Cuisine (10410-104 Moncreiffe Road; 361-5370; www.zayka.us), which opened late last month in North Raleigh's Brierdale Shopping Center. The menu includes all the usual suspects, from tandoori chicken to lamb curry, served up in a snazzy contemporary setting (including a full bar, where cocktail options range from classic Singapore Sling to exotically spiced Masala Mary). The lunch buffet ($9.99 on weekdays, $14.99 on weekends) is a bountiful spread that includes just about everything you might want - except naan, that is, which is delivered hot to your table.

The buffet selection and small second-floor walk-up dining room are comparatively modest at Taste of India (126 S. Salisbury St.; 833-5076), but the $7.99 price has quickly made the restaurant a popular lunchtime destination for the downtown Raleigh crowd. "Popular" translates to good turnover of a spread that includes northern Indian fare such as vegetable korma, butter chicken and rice pudding. Limited hours (Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) further assure that food doesn't sit too long on the buffet. In the evenings, the dining room is closed, but the kitchen remains open, offering delivery within a three-mile radius.

Meanwhile in Cary, India House (1105-E101A Walnut St.; 319-3722; www.indiahouseraleigh.com) has opened in Cary Towne Center, taking over the space vacated by India Garden after more than a decade. The extensive menu offers a sweeping tour of the subcontinent, from the curries and tandoori dishes of the North to the dosai and uttapam of the South. The offering includes a number of rarities such as jingha ka khaja (an appetizer starring jumbo shrimp), lamb ulathiyathu (an exotically spiced stir-fry), and an entire category devoted to beef dishes. If all those options prove overwhelming, you can always opt for the lunch buffet, which is offered every day but Monday (when the restaurant is closed).