Falafel Madness
Two consecutive nights of falafel fun. It didn't happen intentionally, but it was great for my taste buds.
First up, Falafel Drive In. This corner shop has a quaint little neon sign that I've yet to see lit, and it's amusing to see that all the other signs along this stretch of Stevens Creek dwarf its retro signage. I ordered the falafel special which includes a large falafel pocket and banana shake. At first I was a bit skeptical of the banana shake, but I was quickly won over by its flavor, which doesn't exactly go with falafel, but that's besides the point. Round pita pockets filled with freshly fried falafel. Iceberg lettuce rough chopped and tomatoes are the extent of the veggies, but the ketchupy red sauce gives the whole thing a nice little kick. And watching the folks in the kitchen put together order after order is nothing short of mesmerizing.
The next night I checked out Mediterranean Wraps where I had a slightly more gourmet falafel wrap. This falafel was extra crunchy and had a bit more spice to it which I thoroughly enjoyed, but perhaps more exciting was the presence of cubed cucumbers, cilantro, tomatoes, onion and tahini. Wrapped up in foil, the wrap got a bit soggy towards the end, but it wasn't much of an issue since I pretty much inhaled it.
Falafel Drive In - 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose, CA
Mediterranean Wraps - 425 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA
First up, Falafel Drive In. This corner shop has a quaint little neon sign that I've yet to see lit, and it's amusing to see that all the other signs along this stretch of Stevens Creek dwarf its retro signage. I ordered the falafel special which includes a large falafel pocket and banana shake. At first I was a bit skeptical of the banana shake, but I was quickly won over by its flavor, which doesn't exactly go with falafel, but that's besides the point. Round pita pockets filled with freshly fried falafel. Iceberg lettuce rough chopped and tomatoes are the extent of the veggies, but the ketchupy red sauce gives the whole thing a nice little kick. And watching the folks in the kitchen put together order after order is nothing short of mesmerizing.
The next night I checked out Mediterranean Wraps where I had a slightly more gourmet falafel wrap. This falafel was extra crunchy and had a bit more spice to it which I thoroughly enjoyed, but perhaps more exciting was the presence of cubed cucumbers, cilantro, tomatoes, onion and tahini. Wrapped up in foil, the wrap got a bit soggy towards the end, but it wasn't much of an issue since I pretty much inhaled it.
Falafel Drive In - 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose, CA
Mediterranean Wraps - 425 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA
posted by erica at 11:10 PM
2 Comments:
Ah, I miss East Side Pockets. My greatest regret about college is that I didn't discover East Side Pockets until my senior year.
I tried making falafel myself. First time, I didn't really read the directions, and so wound up mixing all the oil into the batter. Huh. Oil is for frying.
Second time, reserved the oil for frying, but the batter still came out rather mushy and fell apart when I tried to fry it.
Third time's a charm. I discovered you have to use uncooked chickpeas! At least, I do. Maybe a more talented cook knows better.
Oh, my goodness, it's been a long time since I went to Falafel Drive-in. Excellent banana shakes!
Your childhood friend Julia told me about your blog and I found it through google. Now it's bookmarked!
all the best from Mary, aka Julia's mom.
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