Midtown Lunch

I know many of you are fans of Alfanoose on Maiden Lane (btw. Broadway & Nassau), but based on the couple of times I’ve eaten there I have to say I just don’t get the hype. Maybe at one point their falafel was phenomenal, but these days I’d rather head over the Crisp for one of their wild concoctions. One place that often falls under the radar and offers many of the same items as Alfanoose is The Country Kebab over at Fulton & Gold. A look at the menu showed something called muchver, aka zucchini patties. I’d had something similar at Pita Press and was interested in how Country Kebab’s version compared.

My first advice would be to take a look at the menu before heading there or at least know if you want a sandwich or platter and what kind of meat or non-meat (falafel, zucchini patties) you want. I say this because the menu is written on the wall in the most confusing way possible.

I ordered the muchver platter ($7.95) which you can get with either rice and two salads or three salads. I did the latter option because the rice didn’t look that awesome, but the buffet of Turkish salads behind the counter did. I chose hummus, red lentil salad (next to the zucchini patties above), and string beans. You also get a pita made in house.

Those patties are as greasy as they look, and were a nice way of getting more cheese and vegetables into my body. There’s a good amount of feta in there that was still melty since these were freshly fried. If you’re vegetarian and sick of eating falafel for lunch, this is a great alternative and I think this would be better in a sandwich with one of their vegetable salads to cut the grease.

The meats roasting on the spit looked great, but when I’m looking for something a little lighter for lunch, I think I’ll be back for one of their vegetarian sandwiches.

The Country Kebab, 76 Fulton St. (at Gold), (212) 349-4290