Udupi Palace has opened up as the only South Indian all vegetarian restaurant in Devon St., Chicago. Has been in operation for a month. India Sari Palace opened this first in NY. Add: 2543 W Devon. (312) 338-2152. Most of the fare is vegan. I enjoyed my crisp paper masala dosai, real coconut chutney and arachivitta sambar (quite reminiscent of Udupis in India). The vadais were a perfect golden brown, crisp on the outside, spongy on the inside with the right tanginess and not soaking up oil. A special cup of Mysore coffee was a delightful decoction kaapi (made me miss the davara-tumbler). Some might groan that prices are a bit steep. But the food quality (rolled up dosais are two feet in length), excellent service and the principle being set - merit the price, IMO. So tip generously. The chef is udupi and from Bangalore. The manager has been imported from Madras. :-) And while meaningless wars are fought between people of the subcontinent, the manager and the very pleasant, courteous crew is of this composition: Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Afghani, Punjabi, Tamilian (this does not cover all). So visit Chicago and check out Udupi Place, both for the food and the principle of a lofty example. I have no connections. Am just a happy customer. My dosai-vadai combo was a "Madras Express Lunch" for 5.99. I coudn't eat all of it. And they do offer to doggy-bag it. Shyamala
Chicago, IL