O'FALAFEL, ETC.

Is it more fun to say than schwarma? I think not, but falafel will have to do. I was really excited about the opening of this Mediterranean cuisine restaurant on 790 East and 2100 South in the old Saltimbocca location.

My friends were kind enough to humor me and we checked it out last weekend. Although, we arrived at 8:50 p.m. (they close at 9 p.m.). The guy at the cash register was in no hurry. The line in front of us was long and slow moving.

We placed our orders for Caesar salad, falafel, chicken and kefir. For the uninitiated falafel is essentially deep fried beans. It's surprisingly good. Served with pita bread and a cool yogurt dipping sauce. I found it very yummy. Although, the bright green color inside is surprising.

I was feeling adventurous so I also tried the kefir. It turned out it was grilled spicy beef strips. Although, it was good. It wasn't great and I'll probably order something else next time. The tomato sauce served with the meat was delicious. The rice was cooked perfectly, but it did need a little salt.

All of the vegetables were fresh and good, Goomba's salad looked amazing. The sauces were all delicious, I especially like the cucumber sauce Mrs. WP was served with her chicken. It was refreshing and cool and paired perfectly with the spice of the rest of the dish.

So although the kitchen was incredibly slow and we didn't even begin to think about leaving until 10 p.m. The family who runs the place was very kind. They were attentive to our table as they tried to figure out their own system for ordering.

The owner apologized personally to us for the wait. I think for being open for three days they have learned a lot. I'll give the wait staff and kitchen a couple of weeks to learn the ropes, but then I'll be back for more.

Plus, it's amazinly cheap. It was $5.49 for a falafel appetizer that was big enough to serve as one person's meal. For just under $7 Mrs. WP and I ordered our entrees and Goomba paid about $6 for his salad. Good food, a different experience, great people and cheap...the recipe for my kind of restaurant.