It lives. The hot dog bun was secured for free from the street meat cart 60 feet from Alan’s falafel cart. Twenty-five steps and five minutes later three falafel balls were similarly provided for no charge by Alan. Twenty-five steps back to the street meat cart and the falafel-bun baby was slathered with ketchup, mustard and sauerkraut. The taste? It’s like trying to describe the color of the sky to a blind man. All I can say is that it was an unexpectedly perfect balance of flavors. The soft, supple hot dog bun was a welcome departure from the Jack Sprat of breads, the pita pocket. Chickpea and sauerkraut were murder buddies, just killin my tastebuds and sending them to heaven. Ketchup and mustard played it like sociopaths. You’d have no idea they started as a hot dog hat.
Hotlafel: Production
Posted in Amazing Food Tricks
Hotlafel: The R&D Phase
Pizzafel is passe. We’ve been there, eaten that. We created the dish, broke the story, paraded it through the streets, and now we’re famous for it. I’m amazed I’m able to type this post considering my right hand has cramped into an eagle claw from signing so many autographs.
We crave a streetfood mashup even more bodacious. Shockinger. More bester. It will be the definitive beast of the streets. Keep watching.
Posted in Amazing Food Tricks
Amazing Food Tricks: Pizzafel
Why stress yourself out agonizing over choosing between pizza and falafel for a quick lunch when you can have both at the same time?! Meet the lovechild of the slice and the pocket: PIZZAFEL. My pizzafel was the offspring of Friendly Pizza (Maiden and Nassau) and Alan’s Falafel Cart (B’Way btw. Liberty and Cedar). Funny thing: Alan didn’t blink when I requested that he make me a falafel sandwich using the slice of pizza I handed him. It looks quite disgusting in the photo below, which is partially due to the fact that it was taken with a camera phone and partially due to the fact that it really looked very disgusting. The taste, however, was gang banger. If you know how to do an amazing food trick, tell us about it.
Posted in Amazing Food Tricks
Pita Grill
Spot: 69 New Street
Phone: 212 363 2333
Delivery: Yes, $8 minimum
Rundown: Pita Grill offers a variety of lunch options that include stir fries, salads, rice bowls and grilled meats. We haven’t sampled the food, so if you have, please let us know what you think.
Under $10:
Selections include, but are not limited to:
Greek salad – $9
Grilled chicken salad – $9.50
Grilled sliced cajun steak pita – $8
Hawaiian chicken or steak pita – $8.50
Chicken rice bowl – $10
Roasted chicken BLT panini – $8.50
Tandoor Palace
Spot: 88 Fulton St (@ Gold St.)
Phone: 212 349 7643; 212 349 7646; 212 349 1888
Delivery: 11A – 9P, $10 minimum
Rundown: Judging by the menu, Tandoor Palace looks like a run of the mill Indian lunch spot.
Please send us your opinion of the place if you’ve eaten here.
Under $10:
The entire menu, except for the tandoori shrimp. Selections include, but are not limited to:
Aloo gobi – $6.95
Saag alu – $6.95
Channa masala – $5.95
Chicken tikka masala – $6.95
Lamb curry – $7.95
Shrimp vindaloo – $9.95
Lamb shahi korma – $7.95
Goat biryani – $7.95
Diwan-E-Khaas
Spots: 53 Nassau St.; 26 S. William St.; 26 Cedar St.
Delivery: Yes
Phone: Nassau: 212 571 7676; S. William: 212 248 2361; Cedar: no phone
Rundown: We haven’t eaten here yet. Reviews/ blurbs welcome.
Under $10:
The whole menu. Prices range from $6.45 – $7.85 for entrees.
Maggie’s Cajun Grill
Spot: 12 John Street
Delivery: 11A – 6P, M-F
Phone: 212 577 2668
Rundown: I felt like some kind of fish the first time I walked by this place. An employee on the sidewalk with a plate full of samples dangled a lightly charred cube of bourbon chicken in front of my eyeball. I bit it. It was good. I went inside. I bought food. That’s how they get you. $5.95 gets you an entree with rice and two vegetables. In my estimation, it was at least a pound of food. The bourbon chicken was quite flavorful, but a bit gristly. The vegetables were surprisingly not overcooked or mushy (although some people like mushy). Although I was satisfied with my meal, this type of “cajun” food is available at any mall food court.
Food Quality: 3.5/5
Under $10:
The entire menu. $5.95 for one entree w/ rice and 2 vegetables; $7.50 for 2 entrees w/ rice and 2 vegetables. Entrees include:
Bourbon chicken
Shrimp etoufee (stir fried w/ tomato sauce)
BBQ grilled chicken
Blackened fish
Honey-glazed chicken
Blackened chicken
BBQ spare rib tips
Vegetables: Carrots, sweet corn, red beans, steamed cabbage, string beans, fried potatoes w/ onions
Texas Rotisserie and Grill
Alan’s Falafel Cart
Spot: Street Food Alley, East side of Broadway btw. Liberty and Cedar Streets
Rundown: Please understand that this is NOT your average falafel cart. For $3 you get a pita overstuffed with 5-6 fresh, warm, crunchy, golden on the outside, green on the inside falafel balls, fresh lettuce and tomato, hot sauce, tahni, a slice of buttery grilled eggplant, jardinera (pickled hot peppers) and a stuffed grape leaf (yes, inside the pita pocket). The sandwich can of course be tailored to your exacting specifications. This is easily one of the best lunch deals in the entire City, let alone the FiDi.
Insider Tip: Lines are shortest after 1:30pm. If you’re going to eat this on the go, tell them to go easy on the tahini, or else you’ll end up with drippy earlobes.
Food Quality: 4.5/5
Under $10:
Falafel sandwich – $3
Falafel platter – $5
Posted in Falafel, Mid-Eastern | Tags: cart, Falafel, street food
Terrace Fish and Chips
Spot: 77 Pearl St; 187 Church St; 124 Fulton St
Rundown: Small and crowded during peak lunch (12-2pm M-F), but cheap, high quality seafood. We’ve had the very fresh two-piece whiting fillet on a dense, multigrain roll topped with fresh lettuce and tomato for $5.40 at the Fulton St. location. Very filling. My only complaint is that the “hot sauce” provided with the mean comes in a packet and tastes like cayenne-laced Robitussin.
Food Quality: 4/5
Under $10:
1-piece whiting sandwich – $4.50
2-piece whiting sandwich – $5.40

