Do you know the Dosa Man who works on Sullivan St.
Oh Yes, I know the Dosa Man, I met him yesterday!
After reading in the paper that the Vendy (street vendor) competition was held over the weekend and the Dosa Man won, I knew I needed to go visit.
Located on the South Side of Washington Square Park at Sullivan Street, the cart is easy to spot because of the long line of people extending from it.
It took about 15 minutes to make it through the line at lunch time, but the time went fast because of all the people watching I was able to do. There was the lady with pink, white and black hair waiting for her dosa and the woman wearing a skate boarding helmet chatting with the Dosa Man and munching on a samosa. Then there was the couple who arrived on line and announced "We came all the way from Forth Worth Texas for this."
I had a dosa filled with potatoes and other veggies, which is served with coconut chutney. I also ordered a samosa (indian dumpling). Both were fantastic-- at least at good as any restaurant in the city!
After reading in the paper that the Vendy (street vendor) competition was held over the weekend and the Dosa Man won, I knew I needed to go visit.
Located on the South Side of Washington Square Park at Sullivan Street, the cart is easy to spot because of the long line of people extending from it. 
It took about 15 minutes to make it through the line at lunch time, but the time went fast because of all the people watching I was able to do. There was the lady with pink, white and black hair waiting for her dosa and the woman wearing a skate boarding helmet chatting with the Dosa Man and munching on a samosa. Then there was the couple who arrived on line and announced "We came all the way from Forth Worth Texas for this." 
I had a dosa filled with potatoes and other veggies, which is served with coconut chutney. I also ordered a samosa (indian dumpling). Both were fantastic-- at least at good as any restaurant in the city!
posted by Erin at 8:27 AM
14 Comments:
What is a dosa? What is a samosa? You, you city girl . . . so many fancy foods!
CJS
OMG, sooo delicious! I can't wait to go and try it myself in December.
AB
touche CJS, I should have explained what these things are. (Truth be told I was out late last night and had to write this post quite quickly this morning.)
Anyway, a dosa is a giant Indian crepe that gets a bit crispy on the outside. You usually fill is with potatoes (masala) but can also fill it with other veggies, or meat I suppose. You fold the sides in like a burrito and eat it with chutney or sambar, a spicy soup.
A samosa is an Indian dumpling or pasty usually filled with potatoes and maybe peas or carrots. The dough is more the consistency of a pasty than a dumpling and I believe they are fried.
Both are delicious! You can't get dosa at every Indian restaurant but I see that there is a vegetarian Indian place near you. Maybe they would have it. Dosa is South Indian. You'll find samosas at most Indian restaurants
p.s. I planned to take a picture of mine but got so excited to eat it that I forgot:-) Guess I have to go back!
Sooo, Miss ET, what were you doing out so late on a school night?? ;)
YKW
Yes ET you are right, samosas are fried, DEEP fried in fact! mmmm, artery clogging goodness! They are traditionally served with a sweet/tangy tamarind chutney or mint/coriander chutney for dipping. These are a north indian treat, so you can find them at most indian restaurants.
AB
You would think after the oyster poinsoning debacle, one would stay away from eating food outside of established restaurants... But what fun would that be??
So is this like Manouche, but in NYC and for sober people during the day?
DK
I Know Who,
What was I doing out late? Over at the bf's for dinner and tv, of course:-) We made tacos!
But home before 12, so my carriage didn't turn into a pumpkin... actually, who are we kidding, the subway never looks like a carriage and sometimes smells like a rotten pumpkin.
NIS, let's just make clear that I was NOT the one eatting oysters. I had a lovely quiche and salad from Financier, a great bakery on Pearl Street.
I do question the cleanliness of food sold on the street, but then again, are you watching Gordon Ramsy's new show Kitchen Nightmares? Even nice restaurants have gross problems:-P
I figured that the Dosa Man was safe since he is the winner of the 2007 Vendy Award:-)
DK, long time no talk, how the heck are you!?
Your description is spot on! I was actually thinking about Manouche while I was waiting in line. Just FYI, the people are sober, but it was still quite a unique crowd. Beyond the two I described, there was another granola greeny wearing hemp pants and burlap shoes.
NIS, I must tell you that I have eaten food from various establishments and the only time I have gotten food poisoning is from restaurant food. At first blush it seems that food off the street would be 'dirty,' but honestly, it has never made me sick.
AB
AB, did the news stations in Philly ever do investigative articles about the vendors who sell pretzels while you lived in town? It seems to be a fav topic of the news stations in Philly. Between car exhaust and less than hygenic practices, all I can say is NASTY!
Ooh, sounds excellent!! This post just made me realize the absense of street food venders here in SF. Hmmmm, I'll have to look into that (and visit your dosa guy next time I'm in New York)
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