New Indian restaurant Kalluri Corner curries favor with University community

Though several restaurants have come and gone from the same space — most recently Alma Mater, which was open for less than a year — Kalluri Corner has been thriving since it opened at 235 Nassau St. almost four months ago.

Diners who have long enjoyed Indian food come for familiar favorites like vegetable samosas and chicken curries while others come to explore a novel cuisine.

To accommodate its often large dinner crowds, the spacious restaurant offers two floors of indoor seating and an expansive rooftop patio overlooking Nassau Street.

Pictures of potted plants and fountains on the walls of the entry evoke the feeling of being in a manicured garden. Pale wood furniture and green accents convey this atmosphere to the upper floor.

As a possible drawback of Kalluri Corner's multiple seating areas, some students have complained that service can be slow and somewhat disjointed.

On my recent visit, however, I found the service to be very attentive. Our server was apologetic about the short wait for a patio table and was exceedingly knowledgeable about the menu, which I was grateful for as I struggled with names like "Saag Paneer Dilbahar" and "Chicken Lajawab."

Kalluri Corner adheres to standard Indian cuisine while readily tailoring itself to the University community.

Gilded elephant statuettes imported from India stand atop one wall, while various collegiate banners hang from others.

As another holdover from the decor of its sports bar predecessor, televisions are perched in several corners of the dining room.

Tandoori selections, which are prepared in a special clay oven from India, are among the restaurant's most popular selections.

One of these items, the Chicken Tikka ($11.95), was brought to our table sizzling atop a small platter of onions. The marinated chunks of boneless chicken had the fiery hue of lobster and were so tender that I barely needed my knife.

The dish had a delicate and somewhat subdued flavor, although many other Indian restaurants create a version with a pronounced tang from the yogurt in the marinade.

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Perhaps conditioned by the mammoth-sized portions of American restaurants, I was initially taken aback when our order of Shrimp Masala ($15.95) arrived in a dish the size of a cereal bowl.

But after my first bite of the spicy tomato-based sauce coupled with fragrant basmati rice, it was clear how rich and teeming with flavor it was. As it turned out, my friend and I were unable to finish it.

A second look revealed that the thin green vegetables submerged in the sauce were slivers of jalapeno peppers, which added a wonderful mouth-warming piquancy to the dish.

Diners should be sure to specify if they would like their food prepared more on the mild side.

Slivered and whole chilies are present in several of the restaurant's dishes, which owner Palaniappa Nanju explained is typical of traditional Indian fare.

He contrasted Kalluri Corner from other Indian restaurants, however, explaining that the restaurant's Indian-born chef strikes a more delicate balance of flavors, which cuts down on the "bloating effect" that can sometimes accompany the Indian cuisine of other American venues.

I found some of Kalluri Corner's simplest menu items to be also the most memorable.

The restaurant's Naan ($2.50), a flat bread served directly from the tandoori oven, was fantastic.

Likewise, the Mango Lassi ($3.95) was absolutely delicious, with the rich taste of mango heightened by the creamy homemade yogurt blended into the drink.

I also highly recommend the restaurant's lunch buffet. Kalluri Corner's Indian-born chef offers diners a foray into Indian cuisine with his creation of new dishes every day, most of which do not appear on the regular menu. Soup and salads as well as vegetable, chicken and lentil-based dishes are available.

As part of its student-friendly aims, the restaurant offers a 10-percent student discount for dinner as well as reduced prices for the lunch buffet ($7.95) and lunch buffet to go ($5.95).

Kalluri Corner even offers its own customized student meal plan. Lunch buffet meals can be purchased in increments of 10 at a further reduced price of $6.50 per meal. (Here's hoping that other restaurants in town follow suit!)

Indeed, even the restaurant's name embodies its wish to appeal to students: co-owner Saro Ramasamy explained that the word "kalluri" means college in Indian.