Indian food is an acquired taste for some and a cuisine never tried by many.

It's hard to believe that in a college town filled with mostly students who would rather eat a sandwich stuffed with a variety of fried food, there is not just one, but three Indian restaurants in the downtown area: India Pavilion, 222 E. Calder Way, Masala, 132 Sowers St., and Kaarma, 120 E. Beaver Ave.

Even students who try to eat healthy sometimes can't pass up the occasional binge on greasy food, but many of these students have never tried Indian food either and really should.

Ever since I saw a scene from Along Came Polly in which Ben Stiller gets sick from Indian food, the thought of even trying the ethnically cultured cuisine was banished from my mind.

But this was my time to grow up and expand my horizons.

My first stop was at India Pavilion, but the owners unfortunately did not want their food reviewed. However, student Dylan Acker (junior-history ) did give an opinion on the restaurant.

"It does have good food, and it's a reasonable price," he said. "I like to order off the menu more than I like their lunch buffet."

Acker said the lunch buffet at India Pavillion, which costs $6.95, is of lower quality than the usual menu. "It's pretty good for dinner so I don't really go there for the lunch buffet," he said.

Acker's favorite dishes to order include the chicken tikka masala, a dish that comes in a thick, creamy tomato sauce, and the lamb vindaloo.

"The lamb vindaloo is a really good hot [spicy] dish," he said. "And the bread there is really good, too."

Acker also likes the chicken korma.

"That's like boneless chicken in a creamy sauce with nuts," he said.

When it comes to the ambience, Acker says it's the perfect place to go to if you are looking for a place for a unique date with your significant other.

"It's quiet, and they normally have traditional music playing," he said. "Plus, there is dimmer lighting, so it's cozier and romantic."

Umair Aziz, manager of Masala, admits that India Pavilion is competition for the establishment and feels that Masala cooks a different style of food than that at Kaarma.

"We're the only Indian restaurant in town that offers deliveries, and we are on lionmenus.com, which offers good deals for students," he said.

Aziz said Masala serves food mainly from North India, but South Indian dishes are available on the weekends.

"We make food for people's tastes," he said. "If someone wants a dish made spicy or mild, we will cook it like that for them."

And with food made with no MSG, no enzymes, lots of spices and kosher meat with the fat trimmed off, what's not to like?

"Our No. 1 selling vegetarian dish is paneer tikka masala, which is homemade cheese cooked in the tandoor oven and served in a creamy tomato sauce," Aziz said.

"And a popular appetizer ordered is the samosa which is crisp patties filled with potatoes and green peas," he said.

Aziz said the best-selling item on the menu is the chicken tikka masala.

"It's barbecue chicken put in a creamy sauce made of tomatoes and spices," he said. "Almost every single customer eats it, and I have to include the dish in the lunch buffet everyday or there is no way I'd get customers."

The lunch buffet is $6.95 plus tax for all-you-can-eat, and is open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and on weekends from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday and Thursday nights also include a dinner buffet for $9.53, with tax.

"We have a spread of over 30 dishes and change the menu everyday for the buffets," he said. "It's a good deal."

For the same price as Masala and India Pavilion, I decided to venture over to Kaarma, which is more redefined and Americanized Indian food, for the lunch buffet.

The other restaurants definitely seemed to have a larger selection for their lunch buffets, so I would advise checking them out first before Kaarma if you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Kaarma's food, overall, wasn't half bad.

I tried the chicken tendora, which was a moist, grilled chicken with a light barbecue flavor; vegetable pakora, which were fried veggie patties; saag aloo, which was a type of spinach sauce; and aloo gobi, a cauliflower and potato stir-fry.

Although the food didn't appear too edible, it ended up being pretty decent, and certain dishes had a kick to it that made me have to chug about four glasses of water. My favorite part of the meal was actually the naan, though, which is really good, fluffy pita bread served on the table.

I'm happy to say that I finally did something I once feared -- trying Indian food -- but for my personal taste, I don't see myself having it again in the near future.

Cost at Kaarma for lunch buffet: $7.37, with tax

Grade: C