DOSA Hits the Fillmore

the tablehopper | 3:20 pm | December 2, 2008 | Foodie 411

DOSA on Fillmore | credit Anthony Kurtz

DOSA on Fillmore, which opened on November 28, is a spacious and chic sibling to the original and popular DOSA location on Valencia Street in the Mission. Since the new location’s kitchen is significantly larger, there are even more dishes hailing from the Southern Indian states on the expanded menu. There’s also a special four-course tasting menu for $39 per person, which your entire table would need to order. The courses are a starter, a mini dosa, a South Indian curry, and dessert (which includes some vegan and vegetarian options). For example, to start a few dishes to choose from are red beet cumin soup, or fried prawns rubbed in ground lentils and chiles. There are a bunch of dishes in each section to choose from, and there are à la carte selections, too. You can also do an additional wine pairing for $16 (one half-glass with each course).

The wine list is from Dosa Valencia Street’s wine director and manager Todd Smith, who put together an even more extensive list, with many small producers and often organic and biodynamic wines from around the globe.

Jonny Raglin (Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Nopa) is the consulting mixologist behind the “Spice Route” cocktail program. The list of 10 original cocktails highlights house-made bitters and syrups (like coriander nectar), plus spices like cumin and saffron, fresh tropical fruits, and exotic garnishes (like lime-flavored curry leaves). For example, there’s the Juhu Palm, made with DH Krahn Gin, coconut milk, lime juice, Kaffir lime leaf, and bird’s eye chili, served up with a spanked curry leaf ($10)—it’s a delicious and soothing partner to some of the spicy curries on the menu. There’s also the Faux Swizzle, with El Dorado Rum, St. Germain elderflower, chicory bitters, served over crushed ice with a sugar-dusted mint sprig ($9). The cocktails pair exceedingly well with the flavorful food.

The owners Anjan and Emily Mitra and Jim Maxwell of Architects II were very committed to sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives for the restaurant, including solar-powered water heaters, and recycled glass for the bar tops and faces. The room has high ceilings, with lots of shimmery details and colorful elements. There’s a bar, a lounge area and communal table, room for 82 in the dining room (with some booths), and an upstairs mezzanine that’s perfect for private parties (room for 50).

Dinner served nightly 5:30pm–midnight, and lunch will start a week later, Mon–Fri 11am–3pm, and then brunch Sat–Sun 11:30am–4:30pm.

• 1700 Fillmore St. at Post, 415-441-3672.

Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.