Second Chance Wrapido

Late last year Wrapido (which you might remember from my post about the Chelsea location) opened in Hell's Kitchen. It's in the same storefront where our favorite Colombian/rotisserie spot Farmers used to be, which we remember every time we walk by the entrance, but that wasn't going to stop us from trying Wrapido. A stopped by to pick up dinner one day in the weeks after they opened, but we thought it was just okay and I was disappointed that it wasn't as good as the one in Chelsea. They seemed to have more limited toppings at the time and it just didn't live up to my expectations based on what I remembered from my first visit.

Fast-forward to this summer when I was looking for a healthy and filling lunch after going for a run, and I found myself going back to Wrapido. I was curious to see if they had improved so I got a falafel pita. The guy working there was really nice and very patient as I tried to decide what toppings and sauce to add. In the end, I went with chickpea salad, Israeli salad (tomatoes and cucumbers), onions, and I think beets. It's been some time since I had this for lunch, so I don't remember the fourth topping exactly, but I think it was beets. I went with tzatziki for the sauce on the guy's recommendation.

The falafel pita was good, definitely better than the first time (but still not as good as someplace like Taim). I was glad they had more toppings than they did during our first visit (even if not as many as they used to have (or possibly still have, menu online is unclear) in Chelsea), since back then they only had the basics, like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc. We didn't review it that first time because we were only lukewarm about it and they were new so we figured they were possibly working out the kinks. While I liked the falafel pita, I still think the wrap I got in Chelsea was better, but it's possible that was because the wrap came with more toppings than a pita does. (It's more expensive to get the wrap, but the wrap itself is better than the pita in my opinion.) Now that I know they have a better choice of toppings at our local Wrapido, it might be time to try out a wrap and see how it compares!

Taste of Jewish Culture

I don't know what it's like in other cities, but one of the ways you know it's summer in New York is an endless barrage of street fairs. Avenues and streets closed one or both days of the weekend with many of the same vendors showing up week after week. Some are different like the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival which has a lot of local vendors, and sometimes there's just something special in the middle of a regular fair, like today's Taste of Jewish Culture put on by The Workmen's Circle.

We were really excited about the vendor list as there were some great places lined up, and one place we knew we wanted to stop was Taim. We keep meaning to bike down to one of the shops, now that the truck doesn't stop by us anymore, but haven't found time this summer. Their truck was at the first corner we got to, so we immediately ordered a falafel sandwich to share.

Their special today was harissa falafel. I had never tried it before, but A had it once before. The harissa falafel is a little zestier and a little spicier than the regular green falafel, but just as delicious. We got it with everything, so they loaded on the vegetable toppings and the s'rug. We don't remember there being any pickles or amba (chutney sauce) though.

After taking a break in a public atrium with our falafel sandwich, we headed back out to the fair and checked out the other food options. The most interesting one was from Shelsky's, a Brooklyn smoked fish and appetizing shop. They were serving stuffed latke boats topped with your choice of either chopped liver or smoked whitefish salad. They both sounded delicious.

We opted for the potato latke topped with smoked whitefish salad and sriracha. This was so good, and we quickly wished we had opted for the 2 stuffed latke boat deal (saving $1) so we could have tried the other variation. The latke had soft creamy potato inside and the fried exterior was just crispy. The whitefish salad was fantastic, and it's clear why Shelsky's is known for their fish. The salad wasn't fishy at all. It just delivered great smoked fish flavor mixed with some vegetables like celery. The bit of sriracha on top gave it a good bit of tangy spice. This was a really delicious treat.

Instead of going back for another latke boat, we stopped by Baz, which has a restaurant located in the Little Italy area. They opened earlier this year and we were excited to try the food since the sample plates on the table looked good.

We opted for the sampler of bagel bites so we could try as much as possible. Each sampler came with three mini bagel halves (it looked like plain, poppy and pumpernickel), and they were topped with nova and onion, cream cheese and cucumber, and egg salad and tomato. The bagels were pretty good, a little chewy, and the toppings were tasty. Our favorite was the nova, followed by cream cheese, and finally the egg salad. It was a little pricey though, for 3 mini bagel halves (much like their regular restaurant menu).

One great part of the fair was that, while we ate our tasty lunch treats, they had performances from various musical groups on stage. The music was fun. 

Overall, our visit to the cultural fair was good. We were hoping to get a bialy but they weren't selling them solo, only in packs of 6. That was disappointing. We didn't go to the food fair to shop for food, just to eat lunch. But we had some really tasty treats, especially our favorite falafel sandwich and that delicious latke boat.

Nanoosh

One year ago today, on Mother's Day, we headed up to the AMC Loews Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side for a matinee showing of Iron Man 3. After the movie, we went over to Nanoosh for a healthy Mediterranean lunch. Nanoosh has a few locations throughout Manhattan, but this was our first visit to any of them.

Nanoosh's menu includes soups, salads, hummus plates, wraps and bowls. From their online menu, it looks like they've expanded their selection over the past year. When we were there, the menu only had one option for a chicken wrap and now they've got a few, among other changes.

I got the only chicken sandwich on the menu at the time, the hummus chicken wrap ($11.75 as of last year). Inside the whole wheat wrap, there was chicken breast, hummus, tahini, organic onions and organic greens.

The wrap was pretty full, but a lot of that was with greens. From what I can remember, the chicken was nicely flavored, and the hummus was good. I don't remember that much about it a year later though. I just remember that it was healthy and pretty good (but that I liked A's meal better, more on that later).

Each wrap came with a choice of a small quinoa, tabouleh, or Mediterranean salad. I decided to go with the tabouleh salad, which consisted of bulgur, cucumber, tomato, red onions, organic apple, pomegranate, parsley, and mint. 

The tabouleh was good. It was a little different due to its inclusion of apple and pomegranate, which gave it sweet and sour flavors, in addition to the usual herbal flavor.

A ordered the falafarro ($10.25 at the time), which was sauteed farro topped with falafel, hummus, and green tahini. The sauteed farro was mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and corn.

This was really good, and better than my wrap and tabouli combo. The farro was nutty and hearty, and mixed with all the vegetables, it was like a healthy version of fried rice or a rice salad. The falafel was crispy and well-seasoned, the hummus was creamy and rich, and the green tahini was a good topping, similar to the green sauce on the table but not so spicy. We really liked the falafarro.

On each (communal) table, there were two hot sauces - a red one that we don't remember too much about and a spicy green sauce. We can't remember the exact flavor profile of the green sauce, but we did like it. Then again, we always seem to like green sauce, whether it's spicy or not. 

Our Mediterranean lunch at Nanoosh wasn't cheap, but it was pretty good and one of the better options near the theater. The food is really healthy, since they use all organic and natural ingredients, which is nice to find. We would return if in the area, probably focusing on anything containing chickpeas and farro. The hummus and falafel were both good, and we really enjoyed A's falafarro. The sauteed farro is something I might even try to replicate at home.

Nanoosh has multiple locations in Manhattan but we visited the one on Broadway between 68th and 69th Streets.

Nish Nush

I found myself downtown last week around (late) lunchtime, which was exciting because it meant I got to try someplace new for lunch! I considered visiting the dosa place inside the Tribeca Whole Foods but my desire for falafel won out and I walked over to Nish Nush.

Nish Nush has a bunch of sandwiches, all ranging from $5-8, and I decided to go with the red hot chili sandwich.

Sandwich assembled in the basket

The red hot chili sandwich has roasted pepper falafel (which the menu says is supposed to be spicy), hummus, lettuce, Israeli salad and pickles inside a whole wheat pita. It also comes with a small plastic container of pickles on the side (hiding behind the sandwich in the photo).

Close-up inside the roasted pepper falafel

I didn't find the sandwich too spicy, but there was a nice zesty flavor to the falafel that differentiated it from your regular run-of-the-mill falafel. It was like it was infused with red pepper flakes. The sandwich itself felt very light since it was just topped with hummus and salads. There are some sauces on the tables that you can add, but I didn't end up using much since the falafel had a pretty good flavor on its own.

I thought the falafel sandwich was good, but not as filling as some others (I'm thinking about our favorite Taim). I think next time I would be interested in trying the deluxe sandwich. It includes all three types of the falafel they offer - the regular green, the red roasted pepper that I got this time, and a spinach/mushroom falafel. That sounds like a good way to sample the best of what they have!

Nish Nush is located in Tribeca at 88 Reade Street (corner of Reade & Church).

Wrapido

Every so often I find myself outside Midtown at lunch, and I try to take advantage of it by trying someplace new. Yesterday that was Wrapido on 23rd Street.

Wrapido from the outside - free falafel!

Wrapido has various vegetarian and meat options, which you can get in a pita (cheapest), a wrap or a salad. I went with the falafel (of which they have generous samples outside the restaurant) and decided to get it in a wrap. Everything was made fresh - the wrap was heated up on the griddle, the falafel came out of the fryer, and then I got to pick my own salads and toppings.

Not a great set of photos, but trying to show all the different salads

Wraps come with one dressing (I got tahini) and six choices from the extensive salad bar.  The salads ranged from regular vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes, to seasoned salads like guacamole and chickpea salad. I decided to go with guacamole, seasoned carrots, chickpea salad, red onions, cilantro, and salsa (like pico de gallo).  That was one delicious sandwich.  The whole wheat wrapper was soft and chewy, the falafel was crisp and full of flavor, and the salads were fresh and healthy. I don't think I've ever put guacamole in a falafel sandwich, but it's good!

I think if we lived near Wrapido we would probably be regulars - healthy, cheap and lots of variety. Delicious meatless meal!

Soom Soom

I'm lucky to work in an area that is blessed by having lots of falafel options.  I love falafel and it's one of my favorite vegetarian dishes.  I didn't plan on having a Meatless Monday yesterday but it ended up that way when I decided on Soom Soom for lunch and a Greek salad for dinner.

Soom Soom in Midtown West is a tiny storefront with a couple of stools to stay & eat and a lot of takeout orders.  In addition to falafel sandwiches and salads, they have other Mediterranean items like sabich (sandwich with egg, eggplant, potato, hummus - like what A got at Taim) and burekas, and sides which include multiple types of fries.

Since it was my first time at Soom Soom, I decided to go with the original, which was a falafel sandwich with about 3 or 4 falafel balls in a wheat pita (you had a choice between white and wheat).  After you get your sandwich, you move on to the salad bar where you can pile on as much stuff as will fit in your pita. I got the tomato and cucumber salad, lots of seasoned onions, a pickled celery salad, artichokes, and a quinoa salad, before I thought my sandwich would overflow onto the counter.

This was a tasty sandwich.  The toppings were good, the falafel was well-flavored, and the sandwich was satisfying and filling. I really liked the onions, and the celery, quinoa and artichokes were unique. The only difficulty is that you only get one trip through the salad bar and it's not always easy to layer the salad bar toppings in with the falafel all the way to the bottom.  Pita breaks easily if you try to stretch it apart too much to add lots of salad! It's one reason I have switched to the salad bowl at Maoz -  so I can pile on as much salad as I want (since I love the salad bar).  The falafel salad option at Soom Soom is much more expensive than Maoz and breaks my $10 target, so I think I will just have to stick with the sandwich there.

I am very intrigued by the burekasabich (which is exactly what it sounds like) as I don't think I've seen this anywhere else.  Maybe I'll try that on a day that I'm really, really hungry and going to the gym.

Soom Soom has multiple locations but the one near me in Midtown is on 46th between 5th and 6th.

Crisp Authentic

The menu at Crisp has undergone plenty of changes since I first started going, but one constant is that they always have filling, flavorful falafel sandwiches.  My favorite is the Africa, but I've also tried the Mexican, the Casablanca, the Parisian, the Athenian and maybe some other combinations that I can't remember and they no longer have (and most of which I haven't written about).  Even though I tried all those varieties, the one I never tried was the Crisp Authentic, the most "traditional" of all of the falafel options.  Last week, Crisp ran a rainy day coupon special (side note: you should be on their mailing list because there are great coupon opportunities) and offered the Crisp Authentic for $5 (usually $6.95).  That was all the incentive I needed to finally order the Authentic.

The Crisp Authentic has falafel, hummus, Israeli salad (tomatoes and cucumbers), greens and cabbage salad.  It's a refreshing and light combination because of all the water-filled vegetable toppings.  Mixed with hummus and the usual tasty falafel, it's a solid sandwich.  I don't think it will displace the Africa but I would get the Authentic again, mostly because it's so refreshing - perfect for summer!

Crisp on Wheels

I've been to Crisp a number of times, usually getting the Africa handbag sandwich, but sometimes branching out for other sandwiches, getting sandwiches in salad form instead, or ordering non-falafel-ball items like burgers and pizza.  I've never tried Crisp's food truck - Crisp on Wheels - but it was nearby today when I was wandering around looking for lunch so I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the Africa salad with whole wheat pizza and was surprised when I saw the price.  For some reason I missed the fine print that getting any handbag sandwich as a bowl would cost $1.50 more.  I knew it cost extra at the store but for some reason I didn't see the fine print on the menu here (it was definitely there when I looked later though) and thought they were both the same price.  That's part of the reason I ordered a salad instead of my usual sandwich.  Oh well.  My own mistake pushed the price just over $10.  More than I was hoping to spend, but at least they take credit cards.

My to-go bag contained a take-out container full of lettuce and salad toppings, a small paper bag with 4 falafel balls, and another small bag with their fluffy whole wheat pita.  It was nice that they packaged the falafel separately to keep it crispy.  Sadly, it didn't look to me like the salad contained $1.50 more of ingredients (other than lettuce which is not very expensive).

I compared this bowl with the ones I've gotten previously.  There was much more of the North African peanut sauce and habanero harissa sauce here, making the salad creamier and zestier than the ones I've had previously.  Like the others, there was plenty of corn salad, cherry tomatoes and green onions which made me happy.  And there was one other change that I liked much better here - the sweet potatoes were soft pieces, matching up well with the creamy sauce, unlike the fried slices I've had before.  But like all the previous times I've ordered the Crisp Africa, it was delicious.

The Africa combination is still my favorite out of all the Crisp combinations.  I wonder if they will ever come up with something new to displace it!

King of Falafel and Shawarma

One of our favorite vendors at the Vendy Awards in past years was the King of Falafel and Shawarma, which won the Vendy Cup and People's Choice Awards at the Vendys in 2010. (We never had a chance to write about it but we voted for them!) The cart has been located in Astoria and run by Freddy, who is one of the nicest, friendliest vendors we have met and very passionate about serving excellent food. (To see more about the original Astoria cart and Freddy's food, here's the video the Vendy people did before the 2010 awards.)

Since we don't live in Astoria, we don't get to see Freddy very often. But recently he announced that he was putting together a second cart and heading to Manhattan, which we were really excited about. Today was their first day in midtown - at 53rd and Park - and there was a long line for most of the lunch rush. Everyone loves the King of Falafel! I knew what I wanted to do for lunch today...


I decided to take a late lunch and ventured over after 2, when the line was much shorter but the shawarma was almost gone. I got a shawarma platter which came with salad (lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, pickled turnips) and a piece of falafel. They were running out of chicken so I got the last of that plus some of the lamb. (I usually just get chicken.) The cart was so busy the whole time. Freddy kept making falafel and tossing them into the fryer inbetween serving customers. As exhausting as it must have been, it must also have been nice knowing that so many midtowners love their food! What a welcome!


The falafel was as good as I remembered. It's an oblong shape instead of a round ball which keeps the outside crispy and the inside soft and not dry. It's a unique falafel and so good. The white and hot sauces on top of the shawarma and salad were also delicious. The last time we had the chicken shawarma at the Vendys, we went early in the day, so I think the shawarma that time was better than what I had today, which was the end of the batch. That said, it was still really tasty and has such a good blend of spices. I think next time (whenever I can find the time to trek over again and wait in line) I might go for a falafel platter (especially if they're running low on shawarma). The falafel is really that good. Welcome to midtown, King of Falafel!

A Tale of Two Lunches

Last week we had a training session over lunch. The place that catered the lunch had done some of our other lunches before, and I thought their sandwiches were usually better than some of the other places. Perhaps they were having a bad day or perhaps they just gave us a crappy selection of sandwiches this time, but lunch was not very good at all. (I was thankful for the kosher potato salad.)


I had a half chicken wrap (which wasn't bad but just kind of boring), and a half turkey avocado sandwich. On the turkey avocado, the white bread was dry and almost inedible, the sandwich was covered in mayo (which was too much mushiness when combined with the avocado), and it turned out to have bacon which wasn't apparent from the first look I took. All of the salads also had broccoli which meant I couldn't eat them. What happened to the really good sandwiches from last time? Again, thank goodness for potato salad.

But it makes me wonder why we can't have lunches like today's all the time. For our group lunches, we make a special effort not to get sandwiches. It's probably a little more expensive, but it's so much happier. A disappointing lunch (even if free) doesn't really do much to make someone happy, but a tasty break in the middle of the day could really boost morale! I think today's lunch was the Middle Eastern menu from Food Trends. I've had the Greek buffet before (it was good), but this was my first time trying this one and I was excited.


I got some falafel (it's not Taim but it wasn't bad), small dollops of hummus and tzatziki, and heaping piles of Israeli chopped salad and chicken shawarma. I may have gotten seconds (and a snack for later) consisting of shawarma and chopped salad. I really loved all the spices in the shawarma and the refreshing crispness of the salad.


I was much, much happier with today's lunch. Let's hope future lunches have more tasty food!

Casablanca

Crisp has been running a bunch of specials lately and this week's special was a sandwich and a drink for $7. That's less than the price of the sandwich alone so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. I got the Casablanca sandwich with a mint iced tea. This time I got the iced tea semi-sweet (instead of unsweetened) and it was much better than the last Crisp tea experience that I had.


The Casablanca sandwich is the newest handbag sandwich on the menu. Inside the wheat pita pocket there's falafel, babaghanoush, crispy eggplant, mixed greens and Moroccan carrot salad.


The sandwich was good, but it won't be replacing the Africa sandwich as my favorite. The carrot salad was the best part of the toppings but outside of that, I didn't find the flavor combination that extraordinary. It was a good solid sandwich if you like those toppings as ingredients, but I'm going to stick with the Africa (or the Mexican). Those are really, really good.

Sam's Falafel

Another nominee for the Vendy Cup was Sam's Falafel, which is usually located in the Financial District. I think that, during the short time I worked downtown, I went there for lunch once but it's been years and I can't remember for sure. I definitely went to a falafel place located in the park where Sam's is located, and it was the one with the long line, so I think that was it.

At the Vendy's, they were offering a large platter of food:


But when we dropped by, they were preparing their platters for the judges:


We were already getting pretty full by the time we got to Sam's cart, so instead we focused on the sample falafel balls on the table:


And tried out the falafel covered in tahini:


It was good. We were getting falafel-ed out because we were so full, so I don't think we would rank this as high as Taim, which we had eaten earlier at the event. I would have been interested in trying the rest of the platter or tasting the falafel in combination with things other than tahini, but we just lacked the stomach space or time. I can't imagine doing a falafel taste test to find the best falafel. I think you would get so incredibly full!

African Salad

Last night I was looking for a healthy dinner and decided to go vegetarian with delivery from Crisp. I wrote before about how much I loved their Africa handbag sandwich, but for dinner, I decided to try it as a salad.

I guess I wasn't as falafel-ed out as I thought
Similar to the sandwich, the salad came with North African peanut sauce, sweet potatoes, corn salad, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and habanero harissa sauce, in addition to salad greens and 4 falafel balls. The corn salad was plentiful and I think there were more sweet potatoes than usually come in the sandwich. According to the menu, the salad was supposed to be accompanied by your choice of pita. I chose wheat but no pita was in the bag. Although it would have been nice to have some bread to balance out all the vegetables, I didn't bother calling since it wasn't that important.

The salad was good, but it wasn't that big. It came in a square box with sides about the length of a plastic fork. But I did want something light and healthier so that worked. It wouldn't have been enough for a full meal if you're hungry, in my opinion. The taste of the salad was just as good as the Africa sandwich always is.

I also got a side order of salsa:

Good to know that this would satisfy the tomato cravings I periodically get
I love pico de gallo, so I didn't mind eating salsa without any accompaniments. (Some pita would have been great, but already went over that.) The salsa consisted of chopped tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and jalapeno peppers. The zing of the jalapenos was definitely evident unlike some others where the peppers are more muted. Overall, it was a good salsa. If you're wondering about the size, this box was smaller than the salad box, but stuffed full of salsa.

I don't usually order drinks at Crisp but I decided it would be a good opportunity to try their iced tea:

Not sure what I was streaming in the background - Against the Wall?
The iced tea there was one of the main reasons I finally gave in and signed up for foursquare (to which I am now addicted), since they had a special where you got a free iced tea after a certain number of visits (I didn't hit the right number in time). I don't mind unsweetened iced tea and usually get it, but this white grape tea had very little flavor. It was basically tinted room temperature water. Maybe it would be better cold? I saw some people on yelp who said they had to stir their tea to make it taste better so I tried that but it did nothing. I don't think I would get the white grape tea again. Maybe I'll try the mint tea next time. People seem to like that one and mint has a stronger flavor than white grapes do.

I've always been a fan of Crisp and their delivery was quick (and mostly accurate). It's nice having healthy options so you're not drowning in greasy burgers and fries all the time.

Falafel With Everything

Today for lunch Taim Mobile was back near Bryant Park. I haven't had their falafel in some time and decided on a whim yesterday to only visit Vendy Award nominees for lunch this week, so it was a good day to drop by.

Forgot to take a photo inside the falafel but you can kind of see its greenness
I went for the falafel sandwich "with everything." The regular falafel sandwich is a pita stuffed with their special green falafel, hummus, Israeli salad, pickled cabbage and tahini sauce. Ordering the sandwich "with everything" added pickles, s'rug sauce (traditional Yemeni cilantro-garlic-chili spicy sauce) and amba sauce (pickled mango-fenugreek chutney).

The sandwich was delicious. In the past, when I have gotten the falafel sandwich, I usually got the regular sandwich with a side of the s'rug sauce, but it's so much better ordering it "with everything" so all the sauces are commingled and soaked into the falafel. If you haven't been trying the sandwich "with everything," I highly recommend it!

Taim Mobile Pt 2

Taim Mobile had a special today for Harissa Falafel. Last week I was fortunate enough to try their Sabich so I thought that I would once again go with the daily special. Having never tried their regular falafel, I didn't have much of a basis from which to compare. I didn't really know what to expect either since their menu is always talking about their green falafel. I imagined it would be their regular green falafel with a spicy harissa sauce layered on top in addition to the other toppings they normally put on.

Special of the day

Imagine my surprise when I bit into my first falafel bite and came back to see a reddish inside. The falafel tasted like most other falafel I've had in the past. I didn't notice any distinct heat coming from them, but that could also be because it was somewhat masked by their S'rug which has a good amount of heat on its own. As usual, the hummus was smooth, silky, and delicious, and I had been craving some good hummus since the night before. The pickles today seemed a bit saltier than I remembered so I did my best not to eat them on their own.

Side view of the sandwich
Cross section (bite) of the harissa falafel

Overall, the sandwich was tasty even with the slightly salty pickles, but I would be interested in trying their regular falafel for a comparison.

Falafel Curry?

Even with all of the lunch choices in my work area, I still seem to always go back to the same few places. It's not that I don't like variety, but I just find that having reliable, good lunch spots is really nice. If I'm busy I can just run out and grab something that I know will be filling and taste really good. This brings me back to Roll and Go. I wrote about them once back in November near when they opened. So far to this point I'd only ever tried their chicken shwarma wrap.

One day while walking past the restaurant with M we saw a sign for their special falafel curry. Now, I like curry of all persuasions. Thai, Indian, Japanese, it doesn't matter. I just like curry, and curry over rice is the best. I was definitely intrigued by this offering. From the picture it looked like it was curry over rice with falafel balls on top. Seemed simple enough, and I figured the next time I went I would try it out. Next time happened to be last Friday (4/8).

Falafel piled on rice and curry
Along with the 7 falafel balls, the dish also comes with some of their grilled/seasoned cauliflower and topped with sliced green peppers and scallions.

Better view of the curry
Overall I was disappointed with this meal. The curry itself did not have much flavor, and had I not seen the person adding the cauliflower, I wouldn't have known it was there. The falafel was okay. It had a nice crispness to the outside, but again, the flavor wasn't all there. Perhaps I'm just spoiled by having a Maoz and a Crisp so close by as well. I find that they have excellent falafel at those two places. Still, the scallions added nice flavor, and the green peppers put a nice, fresh crispness to the dish. Still, I think from now on I'll stick to the chicken shwarma wraps until I give the fresh made sushi a shot.

Crisp Classic

A few months ago, Crisp introduced their burger line.  I haven't been there in quite some time, so today's lunch was my first time trying the burger.  I figured, it was my first one, why not start with the classic?  (This is in contrast to the handbag sandwich where I started with the Africa and then never wanted to go backwards to the plain "authentic" one.  I've learned my lesson.)

 

The Crisp Classic burger has a falafel patty, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, American cheese and special dressing.  At $5.25, it's not a bad price at all, and it's a lot healthier than a regular meat burger.  I liked it.

Moshe's Falafel

First stop on the block by block challenge for 46th Street between 5th and 6th Aves.

I think I have passed Moshe's Falafel (at least) a hundred times. I had always heard they had good falafel, yet somehow I've never gotten it. I've walked all the way to the Port Authority area to get Pick-a-Pita falafel but haven't gone across the street to Moshe's. Crazy, right?


The stand is there every day at lunch and there's always a line. They move really quickly and spit out falafel sandwiches at a rapid pace. In addition to their namesake falafel, they also have soups and salads. But it would appear that people really go there for the falafel.


The falafel sandwich (which is a cheap $5.25 right now) consists of a big fluffy pita stuffed with multiple falafel balls, lettuce, tomato, tahini and (if you want it) hot sauce. It's garnished on the end with a pickle.

Here's what I liked about it:

(1) The falafel had a good texture, was fluffy and not dry. I had read some complaints online that the quality of Moshe's had gone downhill and that the falafel balls were dry. I was happy to see that wasn't the case with my sandwich. I really liked the fluffiness of the falafel, and the first bite was great.

(2) When the falafel is mixed with the lettuce and tomato and drenched in tahini and hot sauce, the flavor's great. (See next section, #2)

(3) A big filling sandwich but it doesn't hurt your wallet. I think it used to be less than $5 but at $5.25 it's still a bargain.

(4) The pickle was good.

And here's the less good stuff:

(1) The pita was kind of thick and bready. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it helps the sandwich to feel heavier.

(2) The tahini and hot sauce didn't sink to the bottom of the pita, so by the time I got to the bottom, all I had was falafel and pita with no veggies or sauce so it was kind of boring.

(3) The salad is just iceberg lettuce and tomato. I love adding salads to my falafel, whether it's beet salad, cucumber salad, etc. There's nothing wrong with only having lettuce and tomato, but I missed the diversity of flavor that you get with some of the other salads.

(4) It's a bit messy. When I opened the aluminum foil, I got tahini all over my hands. Not a big deal, since I was going to be eating the sandwich with my hands anyway, but probably not the best lunch if you need to be somewhere right after and can't wash all the sauce off your hands. Or if you're walking and eating at the same time.

Was it good falafel? Yes. Was it great falafel? I'm up in the air on this one. I haven't had falafel in awhile so it's hard to compare. There's also so many types of falafel and the ones I've had more recently are more dense and less fluffy. I guess the more important question is, would I go back to Moshe's for another falafel sandwich sometime. The answer is yes!

Crisp

Today for lunch I took a short walk to Crisp for some much-craved falafel.

I went to Crisp a lot over the summer when they had good coupon deals. $5 sandwiches? Yes please! Unfortunately I don't think there's going to be many coupons for the general public anymore because they have moved to a VIP program where you pay for a loyalty card. I suppose if you go there all the time it could be worth it, but I don't think it's worth it for me for a few reasons. First, I can't guarantee I'd go often enough to make it worth it since we have so many in-house lunches and there are so many options in midtown. Second, most of the new discounts are conditioned on buying drinks and I don't buy drinks with lunch, so it wouldn't be of much help for me!


The Crisp sandwiches are served in special boxes where you "unzip" the middle to create a "handbag" for your sandwich. I ordered the Crisp Africa sandwich, which is my favorite of the bunch. The sandwich today looked completely different from both sides so here's a look at both sides:


It comes loaded with veggies (corn salad, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, green onions) and nice sized falafel, and accompanied with a North African peanut sauce and habanero harissa sauce. The sandwich can sometimes be a little spicy, and just generally, is really good. I like most of the "creative" combinations because they're different from the falafel you can get at most places and make Crisp unique.


I attempted to go through the entire sandwich menu during the summer but out of the 8, I only got through 5. There's also hummus platters with sides but I like the way it all gets mixed together in the sandwiches better. If you're looking for a different take on the falafel sandwich, check out Crisp. Good flavors, good price, healthy lunch (or dinner).