Dosa Dishes Indian Food Southern Style
By Zahra Kassamali
Executive Editor
Most of the Indian restaurants I usually go to specialize in foods from
the northern parts of India as I tend to crave northern classics like naan,
chicken tikka masala, korma and daal. However, last weekend my friend Ariana
and I decided to try some South Indian cuisine at Dosa, located at 21st Street
and Valencia in the Mission District.
Dosa has gotten rave reviews since it opened almost one year ago, and the hype
is all true. The place is generally pretty packed, but if you go for an earlier
dinner, say before 7 p.m., you’re likely to miss the crowd. Inside, the
ambience is hip, decorated with candles, miniature roses and muted colors — a
change from the classic cafeteria-looking (but just as tasty) Indian restaurants.
The food isn’t too spicy, although it is still somewhat acidic from the
lemon and tomato flavors present. So you should take some antacids along in case
that presents a problem.
Our waitress was very friendly and recommended dishes from the various courses.
We started off with an organic greens, mango and feta salad; it wasn’t
exactly Indian cuisine but it was delicious nevertheless. In addition to the
ingredients in the title, the salad included walnuts and radishes, and a light,
sweet dressing that subtly complemented each of the salad’s components.
Next, we had a starter: dahi vada. This is a cold dish of lentil dumplings doused
in a mixture of yogurt, tamarind and mint chutneys. Neither Ariana nor I was
very fond of this course; she because she thought we had ordered a hot dish,
and me because I temporarily forgot while ordering that I’ve never really
liked dahi vada. However, aside from its taste, this dish was probably one of
the most impressive looking ones on the menu. The chefs took advantage of the
three different colored sauces (white yogurt, brown tamarind chutney and green
mint chutney) to design an intricate pattern over the dumplings.
Finally, Ariana and I ordered the house specialty, dosa. Dosa is a larger and
crispier version of a crepe. It has an ever so slight tangy taste to it and it
generally comes with some type of filling in it. The restaurant offers a variety
of fillings including cheese, potatoes, eggs and vegetables. We chose the classic
masala dosa, a dosa that includes a spicy blend of potatoes with cashew nuts.
It came accompanied by two dipping chutneys, my favorite of which was the coconut
chutney, and sambar, another dipping sauce made with lentils. Although we were
on the verge of full from the first two courses, there was no stopping us once
we tasted the masala dosa.
Overall, I would highly recommend Dosa as a place to check out: the prices are
reasonable, the portions sizable and the food excellent.
Dosa
995 Valencia St
(Cross Street: 21st Street)
San Francisco
642-3672
Tue-Fri 5-10 p.m.
Sat-Sun 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 –10 p.m.
|
