Although Columbus famously "discovered" India by landing at Lexington and Concord and proudly ringing the Liberty Bell, the actual location of India remains a mystery. Today's Groupon offers the best lead the world has had in centuries: for $12, you get $25 worth of food and drink at Spice Route in Bellevue. This Groupon is valid for dine-in only. It is not valid with other offers or happy-hour specials.

Spice Route melds traditional Indian cuisine and modern takes on Subcontinent sustenance to give diners a menu with a myriad of options. Starters include 12 vegetarian options such as paneer tikka, comprised of marinated cheese grilled in a clay oven ($12.95), as well as non-veggies such as the tandoori chicken, cooked in the traditional Indian oven and browned over a volcano out back ($11.95). Visit south India without piling into the family jumbo jet by sampling regional items––try the masala dosa, a thin rice crepe piñata-packed with a spicy potato filling ($7.95), or the adai avial, a spiced-up lentil pancake served with a mixed-vegetable stew ($8.95). Chicken lovers can voice their vote with an order of chicken curry ($10.95) or chicken tikka masala ($11.95), whereas herbivoyeurs can spy on the veg chettinad, a Spice Route specialty dish featuring veggies cooked in a spicy south-Indian masala blend ($9.95). Finish feasting with fried dumplings in sugar syrup ($2.95), or discuss your favorite letter of the alphabet over a cup of chai tea ($1.75).

A kid’s menu is available for tykes, half-pints, not-teens, and super-babies. Park your bullock cart outside and step into Spice Route’s elegant and contemporary interiors for an evening of Indian fusion fare.

During lunch, not valid for lunch buffet special. Menu items only.

Reviews

Seattle Weekly offers an editorial review of Spice Route, and the restaurant was also featured in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. [Yelpers] (http://www.yelp.com/biz/spice-route-bellevue) give it a 3.5-star average, and 82% of Urbanspooners like it.

• Spice Route's most distinctive dishes are its fragrant South Indian curries, like the Andhra chicken pepper fry, the vegetable chettinad, and its baby eggplants stuffed with coconut and spices. – Editorial, Seattle Weekly
• Spice Route is the best Indian restaurant I've found in the Puget Sound region. Bold declaration, yes. And I'll be happy to explain why I feel that way – Leslie Kelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer