I've really been jonesin' for a crumbly-picklely-saucy chickpea sammy. My standard, the touchstone for all falafel I will ever have in my life, is the
Azuri Cafe, in New York City. The owner, Israeli Ezra Cohen, bakes his pita fresh every day and it's soft and grainy. When he puts the sandwiches together, he chooses all the pickles and other veggies for you, carefully placing them in the bread so every bite has bits of everything, and oozing with just the right amount of sauce.
But I digress.
We wanted a quick bite before our daily errand (yes, we do have an errand each day), which on this day was a trip to Michael's Arts and Craps in Richmond, to have our Chinese art framed. So, for falafel, we triangulated the
Falafel Maison on Knight and Kingsway, perfectly and hypotenusely situated plump on our path to Richmond. Plus, the Yelpsters liked it okay.
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| The place was hot and steamy because, according to owner Jinin Hussein, she had been making falafel all morning long. A good sign, I mused. And Jinin, who is Lebanese, was quite friendly; and while nice is nice, it's not a requirement for good falafel. Ezra Cohen, as I recall, was rather gruff and grumpy (called the falafel Nazi by some ungenerous New Yorkers), but he obviously cared about his food, and, by extension, his customers. |
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| The sandwich was pretty darned large, but that isn't my main interest, especially at $4.95. The bread was more like a tortilla, and the veggies consisted mainly of ice berg lettuce and some mint, and no pickles. Perhaps this is a Lebanese thing. And, the veggies were a little too cold. The falafel itself was warm and delicious but could have been crunchier and crisper. I couldn't detect much sauce, either, but maybe that's something one has to request. All-n-all, while the Falafel Maison is hardly in the same league as Azuri Cafe, I would go back for a cheap eat on the fly. I can't imagine when that will be, however. There are at least a couple of hundred other falafel joints I have to try first. |
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| Patty had the chicken shawarma. |
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| Which she loved. But this isn't about shawarma. |
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| After the fifteen-dollar lunch, we went to Michael's and dropped $1200 on three frames. Cripes. |
At this point I feel compelled to expound on the merits of the shawarma. The chicken was halal, with a perfectly crispy exterior but juicy inside and perfectly spiced. Yum. Tom, I know you share my love for a good shawarma, so I will be scouting for the perfect one as Randall samples the falafels of our fair city. Game on. Book your tickets now.
ReplyDeleteSchwarma looked great. I'm salivating as I write. Though the Cultures Fair at Hubbell featured some fab eats from local restaurants. My fave? Chicken Tikka from India Star. You must've bought fancy frames. Couldn't you find a friggin' Michael's coupon?
ReplyDeleteGotta love India Star. We'll definitely miss Baba & company.
ReplyDeleteThat was for basic frames during a 60 percent off sale. That's Canada. Gotta pay those living wages and taxes for infrastructure so the rich Fs don't get all the bennies.