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"Seeing Stars"
by Tom Sietsema

"With a big, barely decorated dining room, and matter-of-fact service, Woodlands isn’t much to look at or to linger in. The kitchen’s vegetarian cooking, careful and consistent, is what packs ‘em in – notice all the Indian families here? To start, there are snacks of lentil doughnuts, and unfortunately heavy pakora (fritters). Dosas, the subtly sour crepes made with rice and lentils, can be sampled more than a dozen different ways; one of my standbys involves a filling of buttery, cumin-fragrant potatoes and onions. Like all the dosas, it’s accompanied by coconut chutney and sambar, a sort of vegetable soup. Together, they bring a lot of pleasure for $6. Of the rice dishes, I’m partial to the pilaf accented with sweet-tart tamarind and mixed nuts and raisins. Pungent pickles and tangy yogurt sauce transform this entrée into a mini-feast of flavors ant textures. There’s more to explore, from curries, including soft-crisp okra in a brick-red tomato-and-onion sauce, to uthappam, which one of my companions aptly described as “Indian pizza.” Its blistered surface (more rice flour and lentils) acts as a savory canvas for peas, carrots, and onions. If you have a hard time deciding, consider lunch and the buffet, and everchanging bargain at $6.95 weekdays, two dollars more on the weekend. Woodlands doesn’t serve alcohol, but it does pour a fine mango lassi and a milky tea perfumed with cardamom, cloves, and ginger."

The Dining Guide, The Washington Post Magazine October 19 2003