Chickpea Looks to Break the Kolache Mama Curse
When Kolache Mama closed on 45th Street between Madison+Vanderbilt, they were the second such business to close in that very location. One might even say the spot was cursed… that is, until now. Chickpea of the “always baked, never fried” Downtown falafel fame had moved uptown, and by the looks of Friday’s crowd, it’s here to stay. I’ve never seen anything on that street with lines out the door!
I went in completely unprepared, relying on what looked good and what I saw others ordering (aka falafel wraps!) Mind you, this is baked falafel which keeps it a special green color not often seen by non-parental types. For an additional $2, the platter seemed to be enough food to tide me over to dinner since it comes with a good amount of hummus and bulgur wheat. Did I mention this place is sort of healthy? They don’t just serve falafel; chicken, turkey, and lamb are also available. The falafel is good, it has nice spices and a palatable texture, but it’s still not fried deliciousness. This is definitely for those who are craving your street cart falafel, but need something healthier. The wheat was very enjoyable, a great alternative to rice.
The hummus has options as well: original, roasted red pepper, basil and toasted pine nuts, and jalapeno and scallion. Luckily, the platter came with a pita to spread their creamy original hummus on. In essence, I could have made my own falafel pita with extra to share or save. Though the tahini was nice on the falafel and wheat, it completely ruined the salad I had picked out for myself-you have the choice of four ingredients.
And next time I will completely be splitting the platter. For $8, I got one of the most filling meals in a while, but since it wasn’t a greasy mess, I didn’t need a mid-afternoon nap in the conference room. I had to throw in the towel with three falafel pieces left, I felt like such a quitter.
Chickpea, 45 East 45th Street (btw. Mad+Park), (212) 697-1666
Posted by Blondie at 11:45 am, February 7th, 2011 under Chickpea, Falafel, Middle Eastern.
15 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
Boycott until they start frying the falafel balls. A dry baked golf ball is not gonna do it for me.