Dishes is my favorite Indian restaurant in the Northern Virginia area. The service is consistently good, as is the food. Sample the velvety palaak paneer and you will agree!

I live close to this restuarant and go there often. The food is excellent, and the prices moderate. Also, unlike with the restuarants in Old Town Alexandria, parking is never a problem.

The restuarant offers an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for $7.95 on weekdays and $8.95 on Sunday. It's a major bargain--usually 6-7 dishes from the regular menu, salad, dessert, and Indian bread. I go there often on my day off and on Sundays.

The evening menu is more expensive, but worth it. I ate dinner with a companion there several days ago. Two entrees, an order of bread, and a half carafe of house wine, came to about $40, including tax but not tip.

Among my favorites are anything Tandoori (the salmon is great), Mugh (chicken) Makhani, Began Bhartha (pureed roasted eggplant with tomatoes and spices), and the onion kulcha bread.

House wines are available by half and full carafe and by the glass in a wide variety and at decent prices. Service is attentive and prompt.

The location is downstairs in a shopping center, but don't be put off. The decor is attractive and the ambiance pleasant.

Dishes of India is about 10 minutes' drive from Old Town Alexandria, and easy to find. Take Washington St., which becomes the G.W. Parkway, south. Turn left at Belleview Blvd. The Belleview Shopping Center will be on the right. The shopping center is shaped like an "L," and Dishes of India is in the short part of the "L." You won't be sorry you took the time to find it.