Kar-ma Asian Bistro

Lao Tzu once said: "A thousand weekday lunches begin at the Kroger salad bar."

Well, maybe not. That's how it feels, anyway. When lunch hour rolls around I usually head to Kroger, get something vegetable-y, and bring it back to the office. Not today. I convinced two of my co-workers, adventurous eaters themselves, to sit down for a real lunch at Kar-ma Asian Bistro. Their menu is a little bit Thai, a little bit Laotian, a little bit rock and roll.

The space is bright, clean, and contemporary. We had a seat and wasted no time in ordering appetizers. What's more decadent than lunchtime appetizers? Mine, pictured above in all its deep-fried glory, was the shrimp roll. They were surprisingly light, kicked up with a little help from the spicy dipping sauce. A nice start.

The main attraction arrived and I dove into my green curry as soon as the waiter delivered some white rice. The eggplant, bamboo shoots, carrots, and basil all come standard in the green curry. I ordered mine with tofu. So rich, it was almost buttery. The tofu was browned nicely on the outside, but still spongy enough to soak up some of that flavor. Tasty curry, and just spicy enough for my (mild) preference.

On the left, orange chicken as ordered by one of my dining partners in crime. He was satisfied with the dish, but pointed out that it's hard to mess up something like orange chicken. True enough.

Kar-ma narrows down the "spicy" equation to a 1-2-3 scale with 3 being the hottest. I was fine at a 2, but those who prefer spicier cuisine will definitely be able to handle a 3.

To round out the meal, the waiter dropped off a hershey's kiss for each of us with our checks. Score! How did they know they could buy a good review by bribing me with candy?

Kidding. But really, I had a very nice meal at Kar-ma. I'd even say it's worth a trip out there if you're a fan of Asian food. I'll be back some lunchtime, someday. Until then, it's back to my spring greens and dressing packets.