Location, Location, Location - The Only Downfall of this Authentic Indian Restaurant

Story by Christine Thompson

Karma #1, located off exit 40 of I-87, fails to initially capture the curious taste buds and send them into a flurry of excitement. This quaint Indian restaurant leads you down a beaten path adjacent to an old, rundown white motel with grounds cluttered with trash and miscellaneous personal belongings of its inhabitants.

The restaurant is located to the right of the lobby, with an open bar and two separate seating areas. On this Sunday evening, they were all vacant. The speakers, strategically placed in the corners of the restaurant, play one of summer's popular reggae hits by Kat Deluna. The waiter appears from behind the kitchen and flashes a wide smile. The uneasiness of the drive down begins to subside.

A cream-colored laminated tri-fold menu is placed on the table. The menu lists the Indian food through a wide selection of appetizers, soups, breads, and seemingly authentic main dishes. You have the option of choosing samosas, a flaky pastry like appetizer stuffed with either all meat or potatoes and peas. Or, you can try a dish called chicken pakora, a spiced deep fried chicken fritter.

When it comes to selecting your main course, decisions appear to be endless. Options include vegetarian dishes, chicken, lamb, seafood, and tandoori, a style of preparing food in an open-fire clay oven.

I went with the chicken tikka masala, an oven baked chicken dish cooked in creamy sauce of tomatoes and oriental spices over a bed of rice, and an order of matar paneer, a vegetarian dish of homemade cheese with peas in a spiced sauce with garlic naan (Indian bread.)

But just in case the flavorful dishes didn't spike my interest, Karma #1 provided American dishes as well, like hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries.

The entrees were served surprisingly quickly. First, a white round plate with a mound of rice, then small copper crock-like dishes with the chicken masala and the matar paneer. The pungent spices from the dishes swirled marvelously into the air teasing my overeager taste buds. The vibrant coral sauce in the chicken tikka masala sloshed the sides of the crock upon touch. Chunks of white chicken meat peeked through the sauce and nicely nestled onto the mound of rice. The matar paneer appeared innocent, but upon first bite the spices danced with fervor on my palette requiring a wave of water to extinguish the small flames in my mouth. No complaints here though - just beware of Karma's bite.

Given it was a Sunday evening and no one else was in the restaurant, two drinks (one Diet Pepsi, the other a Mango Punjabi Lassi - similar to an American milkshake), two entrees, and a side of naan later, I had expended forty-five minutes of my time and spent a total of $24.95 dollars for two people. I was adequately satisfied - except for the drive back around the beaten path of broken glass shards. With its new location on Rugar Street in Plattsburgh, Karma #1 is sure to be an instantaneous hit from the drive straight through the main course.

Have you had some karma in your life?