Udupi Palace

Shirley:
Ah, the Udupi Palace, another well-frequented establishment in my general work area. I like the place but be aware, the excitement scale, it ranks as "been there, done that, many times". It is a fine place, I am just a little impatient, looking forward to some gastronomic exploration in my future.
If you are extremely hungry, try a Vada appetizer. These deep fried lentil donuts (remember my philosophy on deep fried?) are excellent and will anchor you to your chair. They are dense and crisp and marry well with the sambar (soup) and chutney.

I ordered the Northern Indian Thali, which is a cornucopia of dosa and uthapams (lentil crepes, either thin or thick), sambar, curries, poori, raitia, chana masala and a sweeten rice pudding. I know this sounds like I know what I am talking about, but I actually didn't quite know which was which for a lot of different dishes, but most were good anyway. It is a fun dish if you have a short attention span and I do. I believe the entire tray is carefully balanced with the sweet-salty-hot-mild-thick-thin-/hot-cold mix. It may be based in Ayervedic traditions, but I an not an expert on that, so it is only conjecture.
And, may I say, I love stainless steel dishware. Always have, don't know why. All the trays and little dishes and the heft and shininess all contribute to a happy place inside me.
My poor friend, Barbara, was a bit discombobulated by the whole experience. The chai tea was not her normal PG Tips and she was never quite sure of what she was eating. She is a game old bird, though, and muddled through. She did not order dessert nor did she ask for the remainder of her meal be packed to take home, telltale signs that it was not her favorite place for dinner.
Our waitperson was careful and knowedgable about ingredients, only winced once when we started messing with the menu and kept watch over who was eating what. We were again in the window table, so Valencia street was its usual entertainment. Funny how sometimes I feel like I can see out but they cannot see in. Not true of course, but it does seem a little voyeuristic at times.
Try out the Udupi Palace if you want to try something a little different from your usual Indian fare. It's interesting and comfortable and the donuts are killers!

Jesse:

    Again, at 5:30pm, we were the first patrons to arrive so we were able to grab a table by the window. By 6pm, the palace was about half full tonight. The ambiance was warm, comforting and interesting. They're playing pleasant Indian music that fits nicely with the Indian instruments displayed on the wall.

     Our waiter was very friendly and helpful with my list of food allergies. On their appetizer menu they actually serve a donut I can eat!  I haven't eaten a donut of any kind for many years. These are called Medhu Vada, you receive two donuts made from fried lentils served with sambar and chutney. Everyone loved them. We ended up eating two orders between the four of us. Later we regretted eating so many donuts  as we were a bit full and couldn't eat quite as much of the entrees as we would have liked. But we happily groaned and soldiered through. The kitchen made a special dipping sauce just for me and the waiter was very protective by cautioning me to not eat any of the other sauces, which I appreciated very much. 

     My entree was the Masala Dosa. A huge dosa, two foot long, made of crispy rice. Luckily their dosa batter does not use coconut and I could safely eat it.  All of our food came on metal lunch trays with impressions for several sauces. My dosa had a small metal bowl inside filled with a delicious spicy mix of potatoes and onions. I would definitely order this again.

     Everyone was having a good time during our meal. Being big fans of South Indian Cuisine we appreciate when it's done well.

     Well, time for the bathroom review:

     I was surprised to find it a bit littered. It was generally clean but looked a bit ragged around the edges. It could use a little paint here and there, but their nice use of tile kept it from looking too funky.

Bathroom rating:   2.5 out of 5 stars

Udupi Palace rating:   3.5 out of 5 stars

Mary:

This is the third Indian restaurant in a row that we have reviewed. So it feels that I am comparing Udupi Palace with Dosa and Aslam’s Rasoi more than with other kinds of restaurants. For example: dosas. Dosa, of course, specializes in them; Udupi offers them and other South Indian cuisine, but in a Hindu meatless style. I liked Dosa's dosas better because they were lighter, thinner, and were infused with a light coconut flavor. Udupi’s dosas were thicker and not as crisp.

I ordered sag paneer: spinach with cheese. Always a favorite of mine, and I was not disappointed.

The donuts took up a lot of space in my belly. Beware heavy donuts! We tasted off each other’s plates and I enjoyed sampling the delights in Shirley’s thali. It brought back images of eating this dish in Kovalam Beach, India, in the traditional way. The tali there was served on a large piece of banana leaf and was eaten without silverware. It was made more delightful by being served in a restaurant outside with sand under my feet and palm trees over my head. But it tasted the same here at Udupi Palace as it did in my memory of India.

The sauces were excellent; the spices pungent and well blended. The service was good. The décor was typical for an Indian restaurant. My palate, however, was a little jaded. I look forward to another type of cuisine…then maybe a return trip to one of these three Indian restaurants.