NalaPak (formerly Udupi Cafe)

Date visited: Wednesday, March 21

You know you've found a good restaurant when A) the menu denotes vegan items and B) there's more than two options. NalaPak (4920 Central Ave., Columbia Heights; 866.574.1113) is completely vegetarian, so all of their food is "safe" for me. I'd forgotten what it was like to go to a restaurant and have a whole menu of items to choose from.

I ordered Vegetable Samosa to start with, and they were served up hot and crispy. I couldn't decide between the Vegetable Korma or the Malai Kofta for dinner, but the waiter steered me toward the Malai Kofta (the menu describes it as "homemade cottage cheese vegetable balls served in a tangy cream sauce). I loved the rich sauce, but it was definitely on the sweet side -- it almost tasted like caramel.

My friend ordered the Aloo-Gobi Masala, and it was really, really spicy. The kind of spicy that burns the back of your throat and tongue. The kind of spicy that water makes worse. We ordered bread to kill the spice, and it was great. Spice wimps (like me) would be advised to ask the waiter about the hot-factor before ordering.

When I go back, I'm going to try the chai tea and attempt to save room for dessert.