Midtown Lunch

DAY 3 of FALAFEL WEEK 

Finally, after two days of mediocrity- I finally hit the goldmine.  A fresh, hot falafel- that isn’t dry in the middle, or messy.  Happy times.

Definitely the tastiest falafel so far this week.  The pita is that pillowy soft kind of pita, so they have to roll it up with the falafel inside, rather then cut a hole in it and stuff the falafel inside.  They also brush it with butter and stick it on the skillet- so it’s hot and delicious.  The falafel is made fresh right in the cart, so it’s still hot when you eat it and the balls are small so it’s not dry.  They are served on top of a little bit of lettuce and tomato, and some yogurt sauce, which is a really refreshing change from some of the tahini heavy falafel in Midtown.  The only downside is the size… definetely the smallest, but at only $3.75 you can afford to get two (if you’re super hungry), or a bag of chips!

All in all, the butter grilled pita, and the lack of veggies make this the least healthy of the falafel I’ve had this week… but sometimes, least healthy translates to tastiest.

THE +

• Fresh falafel that are not dry in the middle
• Pillowy pita bread, that is brushed with butter and grilled
• If you like yogurt sauce instead of tahini, this is the place for you

THE –

• The size
• If you’re into veggies, this place isn’t for you.  There’s only a little lettuce and tomato on the falafel
• If you’re not into carts… it’s a cart

Kwik Meal, Cart on the SW Corner of 45th and 6th

• Day 2 of Falafel Week: Moshe’s Falafel
• Day 1 of Falafel Week: House of Pita

Day Two of Falafel Week!

It's day two of my search for the best Falafel in Midtown… and while nobody has ever recommended Moshe's to me- I have walked by it many times, and it usually has a really long line.  Well, in most places, long lines means good- so I figured I'd try it.

I'm not sure if I was there on a bad day or what, but the falafel I got was a mess.  There was so much tahini poured over the top it was impossible to eat.  I asked for hot sauce, but couldn't taste any under all the tahini- so I'm not sure if it was there, or they forgot to put it on. 

Because this is a cart, and the falafel are made right there, they were warmer and a little fresher then yesterday's falafel (House of Pita), and had a really delicious outer crust that tasted sort of like the batter that you find around fried seafood in New Orleans (definetely not a bad thing!).  Unfortunately the inside was a little a dry.  You would think the tahini would have helped, but all of that was on the top, and the falafel was on the bottom.  Their layering could definetely use a little work.  Four falafels on the bottom of the pita pocket, lettuce and tomato on top of that, and then one falafel on top to make it seem layered… with the whole thing smothered in tahini.

I basically had two bites of falafel covered in tahini, four bites of just lettuce and tomato, and then the bottom was all falafel.  The pita was better then yesterday, but it started falling apart after bite two, because of the tahini.  Pretty disappointing.  Usually taste rules, but when considering a place to eat a quick lunch on your break from work- messiness has to be taken into consideration. 

Like I said, there was a really long line, so people must like this place- and maybe I just got one bad falafel.  Next time I will definetely ask them to go easy on the tahini… maybe that will be an improvement.  $4.25 for a whole, $3.00 for half… although I'm not sure what would constitute half… maybe less filling?  That might be an improvement as well… If you've been here before please comment and let me know if your experience has been the same as mine.

The +/- and location info after the jump… Read more »

House of Pita was the first falafel I had when I started working in Midtown.  One Avenue away from my office, on the most visited food street for my building.  (46th between 5th and 6th is also home to Hing Won, Variety Cafe, Lenny’s, Cosi, City Market Cafe, Pronto Pizza & Wu Liang Ye- among others)  What better place to start then the original…

I really liked the House of Pita falafel the first time I had it… and there are some good qualities to it- but as I’ve tried more and more falafel’s in this area I realized there a few areas where it falters.  First off, if you’re not looking you could easily walk by this place.  It’s not a cart, or a restaurant, but more of a counter where you order, and they prepare your meal.  There’s no door, or seats, and the entrance is in a “knick knack store” filled hallway that connects 48th street with 47th Street.  There is usually a line/crowd of people in front of the counter, but it moves pretty quickly.

A description of the falafel, and the +/- after the jump… Read more »