House of Dosas in Hicksville

[TongoRad]

I’ll offer up my most solid overall recommendation for House of Dosas in Hicksville (416 South Broadway), though for this post I’m singling out the Thali Lunch special, offered weekdays only. (For the record I’m also crazy about the chile and onion masala dosa- I especially love the interaction between the raw red onion and coconut chutney- as well as their iddlies).

The house style is of elegance and balance, with intricately woven and clean flavors, certainly not one of blandness. They are also not shy with the chiles, though they tend to come off as a flavoring component rather than for heat. YMMV, but in my experience this is all very difficult to pull off.

What you get on the thali (served on the real deal- stainless steel tray and serving bowls) are the following: sambar, rassam, dal tadka, two vegetable curries, yogurt, plain basmati or a roti substitution, another ‘fancier’ rice, milikai podi, papad, and dessert. Quite a value for $7.07 (including tax).

The rassam, a flavorful and spicy vegetable broth with the occasional tomato or sprig of fresh coriander, is wonderfully aggressive. The sambar, a thoor dal and vegetable stew, is rich and smooth. The milikai podi, an intensely sour and flavorful vegetable pickle, is made fresh daily. These items, along with the nicely creamy dal tadka, yogurt and papad, are the same every day.

The curries, rice and dessert differ each day. The coconut rice is my favorite, but I have yet to have one that wasn’t very good. Same with the dessert items- recently I had a vermicelli pudding flavored with saffron that was simply exquisite. The vegetable curries are complimentary to one another and are usually non-menu items.

There is nothing wrong with the dosas, btw, and there are plenty of options to choose from. But if you’re there on a weekday and like a little variety this is one heck of an option.

[jogoode]

Great report, TongoRad. What's the best way to get there from Manhattan? Also, have you tried Dosa Hutt or Dosa Hut?

[TongoRad]

Manhattan, huh? Geez, man, that's in your own backyard. I come from a whole other state! (...to be fair, I do have family and an office on the island...)

OK, all kidding aside I'll give you two ways. It's on Route 107 (South Broadway), about a 1/2 mile south of Old Country Road, next door to a Subzi Mandhi and just past a House of Spices shop (turn there to get access to the parking lot). There is, or was, another Subzi Mandhi north of Old Country Road, so don't let that throw you.

If you're a direct route type of person all you have to do is take the LIE to Route 107 South. Proceed south on 107 until you cross Old Country Road and then start looking on your right.

Another way is to take the Grand Central Parkway/Northern State to the Wantagh Pkwy southbound. Exit at Old Country Road east, proceed for a mile or two to Route 107 and turn right and start looking. This way avoids the Broadway Mall area and some annoying traffic lights.

Also, have you tried Dosa Hutt or Dosa Hut?

Unfortunately my travels have not yet taken me to the famed Dosa Hutt, but I have been to a few 'imitators' (as mentioned in the article) and a bunch of other Southern Indian places. I do hope to get there one day. Interestingly, a long time ago (6 years?) House of Dosas was briefly called Dosa Hutt in their old location. Since they moved they've been trying to be as much a restaurant as a snack place, and doing quite a bangup job at it, imo.

[jaynesb]

I second the recommendation. It's a fantastic place. From the outside, it looks like a storefront with a purple neon sign. So you might not think there's much going on inside but the food there is really wonderful.

The food is very fresh, served very quickly. Chai is probably an exception because it of the way it needs to be prepared. I think that they make their own chutneys, pickles, and yogurts, but I'm not sure.

My husband always gets Pondicherry (spelling?) Masala Dosa and the person taking the order makes sure we know that it is very spicy. I try different things all the time but often have a Masala Dosa. I'm fascinated by all the different shapes that the Dosas are folded/cut/rolled.

We also like the tamarind rice and bhel puri but can't always order these because we get too full. The rasam is especially good for clearing out sinuses. One spoon is usually all I can take of it.

For the thali, there is a weekly schedule. I don't think it's listed anywhere though. This is a very good opportunity to try out different items on the menu. The ordering of the dishes on the tray is also done intentionally, although I'm not sure of the real reason. One day, I rotated the tray around a little to taste something out of one of the little dishes. I then asked someone to tell me about what I was eating and he rotated the tray back as he described it to me!

I'm usually there once or twice a month. When we go as a family, my children eat the plain roti and plain rice and they are happy with ginger ale. (Of course, we have "plain pasta" kids so seeing them eat anything is a bonus.) When I go alone, for the thali lunch, I usually bring along a book or newspaper.

I would like to add that the people who work there are very kind. (Also, that if you want a peek into the kitchen, just head to the restrooms. There's a kitchen doorway that you will pass and you can see a very tidy kitchen.)

For what it's worth, the Hicksville LIRR station is not too far away. Also, in addition to the groceries listed in the original message, there is a nearby Patel Brother grocery that I like. (Recommendation: look up Suvir Saran's bhel puri recipe on egullet and pick up bhel mix and chutneys to make it at home.)

jayne

[Pumpkin Lover]

Wow! I didn't know that all those groceries operated out of Hicksville. This is great information; thanks TongoRad and jaynesb!

[TongoRad]

jaynesb:

For the thali, there is a weekly schedule. I don't think it's listed anywhere though.

Great post, Jayne, and thanks for reminding me- I deduced the schedule a while back and then confirmed it with Jay, the manager. I don't think they post it because he likes to give the kitchen some flexibility (in that there is a daily 'featured vegetable' but it will be given a different treatment from week to week.) I'm there once, maybe twice, per month as well but so far this list has held up in my experience:

Monday- Eggplant

Tuesday- Baby Squash

Wednesday- Green Beans

Thursday- Okra

Friday- Beets (?)*

*About the beets- the whole reason I started noting what was served on each particular day was so that I could figure out when the beets would be served, being a personal favorite. Recently (Sept./Oct.) I was there on a Thursday and I saw Jay and asked about the beets, being that I can't seem to get there on a Friday anymore. He brings up that they are considering doing something else on Fridays because a lot of their clientele is from Northern India and they aren't so crazy about the beets, apparantly it's more of a Southern thing. Of course I try to get him to change his mind and he goes into the kitchen to talk with the guys. He soon comes out and assures me that the beets will indeed remain on the Friday thali. I'm pretty positive that I wasn't that persuasive, or even have any pull at all, I just think that I told him what he wanted to hear.

So here's the ironic part: since then I have only been able to get there on a Wednesday or a Thursday (hence the above question mark), including last Thursday which did feature okra. Perhaps some internet fueled recon is in order...

The rasam is especially good for clearing out sinuses. One spoon is usually all I can take of it.

Got that right! It does seem like it has gotten progressively spicier over the past few years. My chronic sinus infections also seem to have gone away during that time. Coincidence? I think not.

[daniellewiley]

Thanks so much for posting this. My mom lives in nearby Jericho, and I'm excited to have a new place to try out! We love southern Indian food, but don't get much of it in Toledo.

[TongoRad]

I'm bumping the thread to add a few things-

Two new items have been added to the weekday Thali lunch special. I was there for lunch this afternoon and confirmed with the Assistant Manager that these additions were not just for today. First- a simple salad ( cubes of tomato, onion, cucumber, shredded carrot- lightly dressed). It was definitely welcome on a muggy, hot day like today, but I can also see it being a great counterpoint to the rest of the dishes on a year-round basis.

Second (and this really tickled my fancy)- a deep fried dried red chilly pepper (1/2" wide x 3" long +/-). I am a bit of a chilehead and I have never experienced anything quite like this, and I'm sort of craving another one right now. The texture is unique- it is crispy at first blush but then turns almost powdery on the palate and kind of vanishes as you swallow it. The flavor is concentrated and caramelized yet mellow at the same time, and not nearly as spicy as you would expect. Amazing!

jaynesb:

We also like the tamarind rice and bhel puri but can't always order these because we get too full.

I've been going with a friend lately so we've taken to starting with an order of the Bhel Puri. I love this as well- it's extremely fresh and well balanced, crispy, sweet, savory, spicy- all of those things at once. You do have to get it spicy, though, imo- the tamarind tends to take over without all of those nice green chillys in there.

Another regular menu item to keep in mind is their heavenly Channa Masala. The chickpeas are served in a pink creamy elegant sauce spotted with diced raw sweet white onion. The contrasts in flavor and texture are the stuff of poetry.

OK- I've gushed enough, maybe I'm still riding an endorphine rush...

[TongoRad]

Second (and this really tickled my fancy)- a deep fried dried red chilly pepper (1/2" wide x 3" long +/-). I am a bit of a chilehead and I have never experienced anything quite like this, and I'm sort of craving another one right now. The texture is unique- it is crispy at first blush but then turns almost powdery on the palate and kind of vanishes as you swallow it. The flavor is concentrated and caramelized yet mellow at the same time, and not nearly as spicy as you would expect. Amazing!

Bumping again!- I have been back a few times since my last post and I have let my feelings be known about the deep fried chilly. Today I got a chance to speak with the manager about how they are prepared, and it is more complicated than I had first imagined- they use a two-day process involving first soaking the chillys in salted water and then in yogurt before frying them. Much more to appreciate, I suppose...Anyway, you can get more than one if you ask. They just put one on the thali at first because a lot of people don't eat it and it would be a waste. Silly people...I have a friend who is a regular customer as well, and he can get there on weekends- he is going to find out if they have the chillys on request when there is no thali being served. It's definitely worth asking for if they do.

[TongoRad]

OK- this is the last bump, I swear, but I thought that this thread could use a photo and I think I finally figured out how to do it (horray for me!). Here is my lunch from yesterday:

From 12:00 clockwise there is-

Rice Pudding flavored with saffron and white raisins

Sambar

Shredded carrot and chilly pepper salad

Yogurt

Dal tadka

Sauteed Cabbage (with curry leaves, mustard seeds, etc.)

Okra (in a tomato based curry)

Rassam

Pickles (not a good shot, but they're in there)

Freshly made roti

The center has a papad with the deep fried chillys on top, and the rice is underneath.