• Vegetable Samosa - Crispy and flaky crust stuffed with potato, onions, and peas $2.99 (shared)
• Garlic Paratha - Whole wheat bread stuffed with garlic $2.99 (shared)
• Vegetable Biriyani - Aromatic saffron rice cooked with fresh vegetables and fresh herbs $6.99

Honestly Indian food is not my favorite type of food. So even though Udupi is in my "neighborhood" and it gets rave reviews all the time by both critics and friends who can not believe I had not been there, I still had not tried it. Another problem with Udupi is that my favorite Korean restaurant used to be there called Jong Won, best steamed dumplings ever! I know Udupi did not kick out the owners, but I still think on some level I have avoided Udupi because Jong Won was gone.

So, I have finally gotten over my petty problems and we tried it. If this had been the first Indian restaurant I had tried, I would have a whole different view of Indian food. Now this is very specifically Southern Indian food and all vegetarian, so I am not sure how that differs from other Indian food, but this was amazing.

Everything we had I loved and it will now be one of the places I am going to go for take out.

• Special Vegetable Curry - Udupi style vegetables with herbs and spices $8.50

Our Indian reviews have been sorely lacking. But that also reflects the lack of Indian restaurants in the Twin Cities, and America for that matter. It’s amazing to me that Indian food is so far behind other ethnic foods in taking hold in the U.S. I’m sure that everyone has their own theory. My personal theories run along the lines of Americans as beef-eaters or Indians not settling in the U.S. as much as other ethnic groups (contrast that to London, where Indian restaurants abound).

We have been to several Indian restaurants, though Udupi is only the second Indian restaurant we’ve reviewed. Udupi Café surpasses the best Indian food I’ve had and ranks as the best in the Twin Cities. The service is attentive; the food comes out promptly and the selection is outstanding. Be warned: the restaurant is vegetarian. But the variety of vegetable dishes and spices makes up for not serving meat products. There is a reason Udupi has vaulted to the top of Twin Cities vegetarian restaurants in short order.

If you’re one of those slow to adopt Indian food, try Udupi first. Ease your way into it. Keep track of what you have, and try different dishes on the menu. You will not be disappointed.