Thanks to all who responded. Of the suggestions made, I only managed to get to Bombay Palace. I ordered the "Fish Malabari Curry" -- fish filet chunks in a coconut milk/mustard seedy sauce. Very tasty, although the portion was a little small. At $16, it was one of the more expensive options on the menu; most of the vegetarian entrees were under $10 (rice or bread not included). Although I didn't make it to Udupi Palace, I satisfied my desire for South Indian food at "The Woodlands" (located somewhere in Maryland just NE of DC -- I can't be any more specific). My co-worker from Bangalore tells me that this is the name of a chain in India, but the restaurant we dined at was not affiliated. He went to Udupi Palace earlier but liked The Woodlands much better. I thought it was very good myself. I had a couple of vadas (lentil "doughnuts") in sambaar (a spicy vegetable soup/gravy), both components of which were very tasty. The sambaar had a very nice flavor, though it was unexpectedly mild -- I wonder if they toned it down for the white guy? Anyway, it was good. I followed the vadas up with the Bisi Bele Bhath (sp?), a Karnataka-style rice pilaf with vegetables and a cinnamon/curry spice mixture. It was also good, though not as good as that served at "Madhu's Dasaprakash" in West L.A. (a branch of an Indian chain), an old favorite of mine when I lived in that area. The Dasaprakash version had a moist, oatmeal-like consistency; the Woodlands version was drier, like a normal pilaf. Both were tasty, but I prefer the moister one. (I have no idea which is more authentic.) Anyway, either one of my selections would have made a decent meal, and the total, including a cup of Mysore coffee, was probably around $11 (don't know exactly, because I didn't pay). Overall, I was quite pleased with The Woodlands. Again, thank you all for your suggestions. I'll probably be in the area fairly often from now on, so I'll try to get back to some of them.
Washington, DC