A New Spot for Breakfast Dosas in Tribeca

By Tejal Rao Fri., Sep. 21 2012 at 11:00 AM

Categories: 100 Dishes to Eat Now

Dish #26 is a cheese-laden breakfast dosa

Welcome to 100 Dishes to Eat Now, the tasty countdown leading up to our "Best of 2012" issue. Tune in each day (weekends too!) for a new dish from the Fork in the Road team.

[See More 100 Dishes: Tabata Ramen Gets New Noodle Broth | 3 Pastries from Du Jour Bakery]

Earlier this month, a dosa shop popped up in Whole Foods Tribeca. The expensive, bleachy-clean grocery chain seems like a funny spot for cheap, fast, Indian street food, but it's a natural partnership: Dosateria comes from Café Spice, the local Indian-food manufacturer that has been delivering its prepared goods to the grocery chain for years.

Dosateria now shares an open kitchen with the sushi counter, right in the middle of the store. One cook works the griddle, slowly pouring out fermented dosa and uttapam batter, sprinkling over toppings. Though service at the counter and kitchen is a bit clumsy and slow, you won't care too much when that breakfast dosa arrives.

There are gently spiced mashed potatoes, topped with a fried egg and melted Jack cheese, all folded in an airy sour crepe. (It's nice and crisp if you eat it right away at the counter, but closed up in a to-go box it's guaranteed to get soft and soggy.) Putting a few raw spinach leaves in this carby breakfast dosa seems a bit pointless, but like the whole-wheat uttapams, it reminds you this is a Whole Foods joint.

Café Spice Dosateria & Lassi Bar
270 Greenwich Street

Read the most recent posts on our food blog or check our longer weekly reviews. Contact the writer at trao@villagevoice.com.