Jump-starting your carry-to-work lunch

This weekly menu from Epicurious reminded me of a little tasty trick I started this week with lunch sandwiches: a smear of chutney, instead of mustard, on the bread or the wrap. Yum!

My wife, Hilda Oropeza, came up with the idea, saying that while she liked the turkey and cheese sandwiches I was making for her, she wanted a little twist on them. She showed it with a bit of cranberry chutney on a lunch wrap over the weekend. Two kinds of chutney -- mango and cranberry -- now grace the condiment shelf in the fridge.

Will use the jarred chutney until I can make my own using fresh ingredients. Stay tuned.

(Photo credit: www.sweatyguineapig.com)

Like Shiva, Dosa is auspicious and bold

Sometimes a restaurant's reputation precedes it, often leading the reality to fall short of the expectation.

We had heard nothing but good about the food at Dosa on Fillmore in San Francisco, and we often had taken in the aromas of Indian curry and the rich chutneys when walking past (it's just two blocks from our house).

So we were thrilled to discover in dining there Thursday that the cuisine exceeds the hype.

A six-foot bronze statue of a dancing Shiva, the most auspicious of the Hindu gods, dominates the back end of the big, open room. And his presence is metaphoric, for the food is auspicious and dominates the palate with bold, deep flavors.

From the masala, chutneys and the utter genius of dusting chile powder on ears of roasted corn to the delicate assembly and perfect cooking of the crab cakes and the contrasting sweet and savory sauces, the experience was delightful. Oh, and the dosa was prepared perfectly.

We had a sweet beet and tapioca dessert that didn't quite match the dense and rich flavors of the other courses.

A bonus: Dinner for two, including two glasses of wine, was $63 before tip.

We shall return.