Cheap but great vegetarian ...

Sure, it's not Dosa. It's crowded, service is haphazard but speedy, and there's no beer or wine list to speak of. It's also strictly vegetarian. But, they have these way cool rectangular stamped stainless steel thalis and serving plates!

That's their fried idly appetizer, which I ordered because it was new to me. Lentil/rice flour patties, steamed and then deep fried with herbs and chopped onion. Served with the inevitable trio of South Indian condiments: coconut chutney, mint/cilantro chutney, and tomato/pepper chutney. Every time you go to a South Indian restaurant, you play this little game where you try to guess which of the three chutneys will be spicy, and which won't. At Udupi Palace, the coconut chutney is zippy, while the tomato/pepper chutney is cool and refreshing. At Dosa, it's the reverse.

We followed that up by ordering a "tomato omlet" utthapam (pictured at top) and an onion masala dosa (above). These are easily big enough to share, and you should. Note that each of these comes with their own segregated trio of chutneys, plus the other ubiquitous South Indian condiment: sambar. (In case you didn't know: you dip your food in the various chutneys and sambar as you please.)

Each of these items was very tasty and we finished every bite. Dessert was the usual trio of Indian items, so we skipped it. Total bill: $15 each, including tax and tip. Now that's hard to beat.

Udupi Palace is part of a mini-chain, with restaurants in San Bruno, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. I don't know if other locations are as good as the San Francisco one.

Since we'd skipped Indian dessert, though, we had room for something more interesting: Mission Pie.

Mission Pie

Food 4 / Service 2.5 / Dessert 4 / PPPIE: $3 to $6

For those of you who have never been there before, Mission Pie is the retail end of a co-op farming and baking establishment for disadvantaged youth. Almost everything they sell was grown and made, from seed and cow, on their farm. For those who have been there before, they've moved into a nicer, more spatious venue on the corner.

The result is delicious, delicious pie. Above is the "fresh berry" pie, with whole strawberries, blackberries, rasperries and struesel. Mmmmmmmmmmmm pie.

So, next time you're in a vegetarian mood, stroll down to the mission and feast!

Udupi Palace
1007 Valencia St (at 21st)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 970-8000

Mission Pie
2901 Mission St (at 24th)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-1500