For vegans as well as vegetarians, a little slice of Nirvana

In this week's Food section, critic Tom Sietsema writes about dosas and other Indian fare at Nirvana Express, the low-key Farragut West carryout from the owners of the late great K Street restaurant Nirvana.

The owners of Nirvana always had one eye out for vegetarians and vegans; at Nirvana Express, they serve a menu that's heavy on South Indian cuisine, which unlike North Indian fare, often eschews dairy and finds richness in ingredients such as coconut.

Everything at Nirvana Express is vegetarian. And manager Carl Domingo says "95 percent" of what the restaurant serves is vegan, including the popular pumpkin curry, samosas and nearly all of the dosas. (Crepe-like dosas can sometimes get their crackle from a pan soaking in clarified butter, or ghee -- but not here.)

Domingo says the two items vegans should avoid are the creamy lentil stew dal makhani, and the spinach and cheese dish, palak paneer.