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It sounds like the Namaste Café might have an image problem. A couple of days ago, I emailed a friend and invited her to meet me for Happy Hour at the Nepalese/Indian restaurant and tea house at 2512 Hennepin Ave. S.

"I have never even noticed Namaste," she replied. "They have wine?? It sounds so — vegan?"

Okay, so Namaste does have a good selection of dishes that either are vegan, or can be prepared without meat or animal products — like their entrée of cauliflower, peas and potatoes ($10), or the Kathmandu curry, with a savory onion and tomato-based sauce, which you can order with either tofu ($11) chicken ($12), or fish or lamb ($14); or their special bean dishes, like the Raajma, seasoned with cumin, ginger, cayenne, paprika, cloves and cardamom ($9).

But if you think vegan when you think of Namaste, you are missing a lot of what this very fine little cafe has to offer.

There is a depressing sameness to a lot of the local south Asian restaurants. They look the same, they have the same menu - think rogan josh and chicken masala and dried-out tandoori lamb and shrimp biryani - they have crappy wine and beer lists, and the décor is too frumpy for a date or special occasion. (Legend has it that the reason the old-style Indian restaurants mostly taste the same is because of a very efficient "three-pot" system - everything on their menu is concocted from some combination of three basic sauces, plus some spices.)

Namaste is different, and it's not just the Nepalese dishes, like the momocha dumplings and the green soybean soup. It's one of the few south Asian restaurants in town that actually looks stylish enough for a date or a special occasion, and offers a decent wine and beer list.

One big difference is, everything tastes a lot fresher than at the usual south Asian restaurant. They use local and organic ingredients whenever possible, and most dishes seem to be prepared from scratch.

But another big difference is that while the appetizer list at most Indian restaurants leans towards the deep-fried - think samosas and vegetable fritters - Namaste's starters includes street-food snacks like paapri chaat, a pile of chick peas, spiced potatoes and chutneys topped with chopped raw onion, tomato and cilantro, or chana chatpat, a similar snack dish made with garbanzo beans, peanuts and rice crispies.

There is a lot more on the menu that I would like to try, including the coconut curry with tofu, eggplant and mushrooms ($12), the squash curry with bison ($14; also available with tofu for $11), and the cashew yogurt curry, prepared with chicken, fish or tofu.

The beer list includes Summit EPA, Pilsner Urquell, Fat Tire and Finnegan's on tap ($5), and several more in bottles ($4). The wine selection includes about 30 by the bottle ($16-$70, with most under $30) , and a dozen by the glass ($4.50-$8). Most of the labels were unfamiliar, but I can vouch for the Routas Wild Boar Cabernet ($7/$21) and the Cristalino Brut Cava ($6/$18), a very drinkable Spanish bubbly at a reasonable price.

During happy hour (Tuesday through Sunday, 3-6 p.m.), all the beers and wines by the glass are two-for-one, and the appetizers (regularly $5-$9) are all priced at $5.

Namaste Cafe Cafe, 2512 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis, 612-827-2496.