Food Friday: Woodlands

I have a passion for Indian food. Growing up, I never had it. My parents weren't fans and honestly, there weren't that many Indian restaurants on suburban long island.  I remember going into New York City with one of my friends when I was about 13 and her really hip Dad took us to a traditional Indian restaurant for dinner. From then on I was hooked. Despite having a hard time convincing my parents that family dinner should be Indian, I got my fill. I invited myself over to dinner to friends house who's parents were born in South India. I asked for recipes. I started shopping at specialty markets like Patel Brothers. Also, It helped that the town my undergraduate school was in was also the Indian Food Capital of the Metro Boston Region. I could eat at a different Indian restaurant every night for a week and never have to overlap.

So upon realizing I was moving to Nashville, I had to make sure that I could get my fix of Indian food whenever I want. And good Indian food- none of this "Curry in a Hurry" BS that seems so popular. And Woodlands gives me exactly what I want. Woodlands is an all Vegetarian restaurant that has South Indian delicacy's (Dosa).  My favorite types of Indian food happen to be vegetarian dishes, so this works out great for me. And trust me, meat eaters can find enough food on this menu to be happy (Paneer is a great substitute).

Lunch Buffet by Kim on Yelp

I have been for buffet and regular dinner, and I am always very happy.  The stand out appetizers are Samosa Chat (a deconstructed samosa covered in tons of sauces and onions) and the Gobi Manchurian (Fried Cauliflower in a soya sauce).  For dinner I stick to my normal Saag Paner (Spinach and Cheese), Butter Paneer (Cheese in a thick tomato cream sauce) or Malai Kofta (Vege balls in cream sauce).  I recently had their okra dish and was blown away.  You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu here.

The service is usually very good. Quick and prompt, they have handled large parities with ease. Once they lost a reservation that was made for 20 people, but it didn't phase them. They quickly  opened up the private back room and set our party up in there.

The website mentions that the offer "On site Dosa Parties." I can only imagine how delicious that would be.