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Restaurant Sun Sep 23 2007
Uru-Swati: Quick Vegetarian on Devon
My dining companions and I hadn't noticed Uru-Swati before. It has the sort of bright and simple interior that you might expect from a new place where you'd grab a quick meal on Devon Avenue. The menu - all vegetarian - offers quick bites ($2.25 to $4.25), from samosas to dosas, as well as "mini meals" and typical entrees. The samosa chat came with chickpeas, sauce and crunchy fried bits topping a smashed dosa. I asked that they hold the ghee on all items to make them vegan, but I forgot that the samosa chat could include yogurt. It did, and I chalked it up to my fault and carried on. I'm sure it's tasty either way. Vegetable Upma for $4 is quite a large serving - at least when you're ordering it as one of many items from the mini meals section of the menu. Think of a savory cream of wheat. It's fluffy, yellow from turmeric, a little spicy from chili, and savory with mustard seeds, corn kernels, chopped carrot, green peas and cashews. A large slice of a bright red tomato topped mine; it made me remember their menu's tag line: healing through food. Service was extremely attentive, with immediate help for any of our questions or requests. While the menu they gave us is all in English, descriptions aren't given for the native names of the dishes. The servers seemed more than glad to help describe the offerings. If in doubt, order boondi laddoo from the sweets section of the menu - or go up to the counter and look in the case. These sweet round balls made from chickpea flour have a dense texture and a very good crumb. We had them for dessert, but you can buy plenty to take home. They sell their sweets by the pound and they ship anywhere in the U.S.
2629 W. Devon Avenue, (773) 262-5280
11 a.m. - 10 p.m., closed Tuesday
