October is the third annual Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delicious features, chef profiles, unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2009."

Mayura
1958 N. Farwell Ave., (414) 271-8200
mayuramilwaukee.com

Mayura means "peacock" in Sanskrit and the restaurant's colorful décor reflects the beauty of the bird. While co-owners Manjit Singh (who also owns Brookfield's Taste of India) and Laxman Kailas take a traditional approach to wall art and table settings, the lighting and bar area are decidedly modern, a comfortable mix that makes the large dining room feel bright and cheery.

Depending on the region, Indian food can be quite diverse. Mayura's cuisine favors northern India, where the weather can be both scorching hot and bitterly cold, and the food is generally rich and hearty. Perhaps because of the climate, northerners have taken to consuming more meat than the traditionally orthodox vegetarian southern Indians.

Menu: Northern Indian.

Price: Inexpensive to moderate.

When to go: If you go for lunch between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., treat yourself to the buffet ($8.95), offering both carnivores and vegetarians a bountiful feast from which to compile a satisfying (and usually over-satisfying) meal of traditional Indian dishes.

Dress: Casual.

Don't miss: Dessert. The buffet tempts with five or six sweet options, including gajar ka halwa (a popular warm dessert that cooks chopped carrots in milk with raisins, ground almonds and sugar), mango ice cream, rice kheer (pudding with raisins, cardamom and pistachios), gulab jamun (those infamous golden deep-fried cheese balls dipped in honey and rose water) and fruit pudding.

Parking: There's no parking lot, but there are usually spaces available along Farwell Avenue and Irving Place.