We've spent as much time in the Tandoorloin as anyone in town, and we still love the brawny, raw-boned Punjabi food that places like Shalimar and Lahore Karahi specialize in. But we're just as excited about the upswing in south Indian restaurants like Udupi Palace. The San Francisco branch of a national chain, Udupi Palace is cheaper and gutsier than its nearby rival, Dosa, and its crisp, papery masala dosa, rolled into a cylinder you could wrap around a newborn, never fails to amaze us. We always split at least one thali across the table, the combo platter containing an ever-shifting panoply of flavors: the bland tang of yogurt; the curry leaves and mustard seeds perfuming the sambhar (Southern-style dal); the toasty, spice-drenched rice flecked with toasted nuts.