It would be so easy simply to explainthat Nirvana lives up to its promise of “perfect bliss,” but that would be missing the point.
The point is the food, and Nirvana’s is Indian vegetarian with a difference. Far from being a carbon copy of others — many of them extremely good — the menu offers a number of dishes not often seen in local Indian restaurants and, since the dishes are vegetarian, even those that are familiar are just not the same.
The fact that Nirvana is vegetarian should not discourage the meat and potatoes crowd, for the variety of textures and the careful, nuanced seasoning is so skillful that even Vindaloo fans ($8.95) may not even notice that this spicy dish has only a variety of vegetables and none of the expected chunks of meat. Nor will they miss fish or chicken in the seductive Hyderbadi Biryani ($7.95), the flavorful rice cooked with potatoes, onions and tofu, and then served with a yogurt sauce.
Venturing to the less familiar, Bharva Subji ($10.95) is a pleasant, sweet-hot surprise, a dish of small potatoes and peppers with a crumbly stuffing, and topping, of roasted spices and seeds, substantial and intriguing. It is hard to appreciate this unusual dish without trying to decipher both the layers of taste and the textures, then admiring the complexity and the fact that it works so well.
Nirvana
Address: 1810 K St. NW, Washington
Phone: 202-223-5190
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturdays — closed Sundays
Credit cards: Major cards accepted
