Southern Indian Moves North

morningside heights is a "college town," distinguished by mainly bland, ok restaurants and lots of turnover. whenever i see an empty storefront i spin my fantasy of investing my nonexistent money in a southern indian dosa spot-just a narrow sliver of a space selling dosa, the airy rice/lentil flour pancakes stuffed with fluffy curried potatoes and accompanied by sides of sambar (lentil soup) and coconut chutney laced with coriander.

well, now dosas have moved north from curry hill, in the east 20s. they are not dispensed by the hipster dosa bar i envisioned, but from a metal cart. yet i didn't have to invest a cent, except the money i've shelled out for my family to sup on these lightly greasy, savory crepes ($5). rolled into a long tube, then hacked into quarters to fit into a styrofoam container, these dosa are likely composed of ingredients supplied by a central facility in jackson heights. even so, the vendor spends time crisping the turmeric-yellow potatoes on the griddle. our kids liked watching him swirl the pancake batter and flip the concoction expertly. on that rainy sunday, we brought our bags of contraband into alfred lerner hall, off west 114th street, but far better to snack al fresco on the lowe library steps. -- dosa cart broadway and west 115th street seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com