Legendary South Indian Food: Drawing Fans from Near and Far
Lunch at the popular Udupi Palace Vegetarian Restaurant often means joining the Indian “techie” crowd from nearby Microsoft, yearning for dosas, sambhar and other food that tastes "just like back home."
Men, women and kids of all ages balance their traditional Indian thalis—a metal serving tray heaped with myriad shiny bowls of fragrant curries, lentil soups, yogurt dishes and desserts—as they catch up on each other's lives and compare notes about their sambhar. Sudhir Shetty, manager, says his family has been in the restaurant business for generations and that being at Udupi Palace in Crossroads has been a wonderful part of their career.
“Our clientele comes from all over. On weekends, customers even come from Portland to eat at our place," says Shetty. Popular choices among the 70 authentic South Indian dishes include: Dosa—the humongous, crispy and fragile crepe-like pancake; vada—savory, herbed fried fritters; sambhar—the ubiquitous lentil soup for dunking dosas and vadas; and rasam—the tangy tomato-based herbed soup. If you're new to Indian fare, try a dosa. Popular choices are Onion Masala, Special Rava Masala, and the Spinach dosa. Udupi uses authentic ingredients imported from India.
Udupi also has a thriving catering business for major events in the area. Their daily lunch buffet—11:30-2:30 weekdays and 11:30-3:30 on weekends—attracts regulars and newcomers alike.
Shetty enjoys the opportunity to meet, feed and learn about the people from the many cultures that make up the Crossroads community. He says it’s a “big part” of what keeps him coming to work everyday. 425-649-0355
Udupi Palace
