It's Frugal Floozie Friday, and today we're indulging in one of my very favorite cuisines: Indian. I adore Indian food, cook it often, and even have a friend — Sid, who first contacted me as an AnnArbor.com reader — who regularly tempts me by sending videos featuring Indian recipes.

So in looking for a restaurant to feature today, it was easy to decide upon one: Earthen Jar.

Earthen Jar's mostly vegan Indian buffet costs a mere $5.99 per pound. The problem, however, lies in trying to exhibit restraint — everything looks and smells amazing, and you'll find yourself wanting to try each offering.

Except that then, of course, you'll end up paying $23 for your dinner! So a little of this, a little of that... and the secret weapon: bring a friend, so you can each select different items and then share the wealth.

Tom and I recently ate dinner at this small but colorful restaurant, and I was completely seduced by all the fragrant and fabulous foods. There was an astounding variety of different lentil dishes, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, spinach, potatoes, paneer, salads; some of these were spicy, others were milder, but each had a unique and wonderful flavor.

Earthen Jar's menu is primarily vegan, including macaroni and cheese (I guess to keep the kids or picky eaters happy?); but there are a very few dairy products, such as a yogurt-based raita and the paneer which is in a couple of the dishes. There are also desserts (puddings and halwa), which we didn't get to after our immensely delicious dinner indulgence.

A few extra items are available at a charge beyond that of the buffet, such as baked goods, beverages and traditional Indian breads. Tom and I ordered naan for 99-cents each; but interestingly, without the bread, we had portioned out the food on our plates for a perfect and identical total of $5 each — the Frugal Floozie Friday budget per person.

Unfortunately, Earthen Jar is right next to Jerusalem Garden, the Middle Eastern restaurant that was featured in a recent Frugal Floozie Friday post; therefore, it is suffering the same misery of being located right in the midst of the enormous and seemingly endless project to construct an underground parking structure downtown. There is a sign saying that the two restaurants on that block are still open; but with parking non-existent and the street blocked off, it's not a particularly enticing location.

So go feast upon Indian food at a restaurant which blissfully lets you try a bit of each item rather than having to only pick one dish — the joy of a buffet! And help to keep Earthen Jar open through the construction quagmire, as it is truly a fabulous asset to Ann Arbor.

Earthen Jar
311 S. Fifth Ave.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
734-327-9464

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Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures in the kitchen. She was thrilled to have her post about Scottish Oatmeal Shortbread named as one of the daily "Best of the Blogs" by the prestigious Food News Journal.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — on which she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related. Her newest feature is Frugal Floozie Friday, seeking fun and food for $5 or less ... really! Feel free to email her with questions or comments or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here.