Photo by Mr. T in DC

Dish of the Week: Falafel

Where: Amsterdam Falafel, Old City Cafe, Tasty Kabob, Kangaroo Boxing Club

Ahh falafel, everyone’s favorite Middle Eastern street food. Beloved by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, it’s hard not to love a deep-fried ball of mushed up chickpeas. Or so I’d always thought. Then I had some of the worst falafel I’ve ever eaten at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Like eating little rubbery balls of sawdust, there was no amount of hummus or tzatziki sauce that could save this overpriced monstrosity. To be fair, no one should go to Merriweather for the food, but the experience got me thinking about actual good falafel.

Falafel is pretty ubiquitous across the Middle East, but it’s generally believed to have originated in Egypt. Like most classically regional foods, the recipe for falafel varies depending on what country you’re in and who is doing the cooking. The balls or patties are typically made with ground up chickpeas or fava beans and a host of herbs and spices.

A falafel sandwich is often greater than the sum of it’s humble parts, depending on whatever you choose to top it with—tahini, yogurt sauce, fresh or pickled veggies, hot sauce, the list goes on. Amsterdam Falafel and Old City Cafe in Adams Morgan are D.C. staples, offering a dizzying salad bar of sandwich toppers. However, I’ve recently become enamored with the unholy combination of barbeque and falafel at Kangaroo Boxing Club. Their smoked falafel bites are shatteringly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, a revelatory combination that needs no accompaniment at all. Do you have a favorite place to grab falafel in D.C.? Let us know in the comments.

Small Bites

Ain’t no party like a (pop-up) taco party
Black Jack bar will be playing host to a Monday night taco pop-up from chef Victor Albisu, in anticipation of his new Falls Church eatery, Taco Bamba. The pop-up series will kick off on October 22 with a taco party featuring unlimited food and drink for $40. Tickets can be purchased online. An ala carte taco menu will be available on Mondays from 6-11 pm starting on October 29 through December 17.

This is the ramen of our discontent
After years of dangling the prospect of delicious ramen before our stomachs, London-based chain Wagamama has officially pulled out of their space in Penn Quarter. Wagamama originally leased the former Olsson’s bookstore at 7th and D St NW in back in 2009.

More pho for 14th Street
Blackbyrd Warehouse, one of a host of bars owned by Eric and Ian Hilton (see Marvin, The Gibson, and the newest Satellite Room), will be transforming into a Vietnamese restaurant come November 5th. The proposed menu will include pho, banh mi, bun (rice noodle bowl), and tiki cocktails.