Falafel Feud- Saxonville MA

What: Falafel Wrap Sandwich

Where: Subs and More

1609 Concord Street

Framingham  MA 01701

How much: $6.90

 

(readers, cue They Mighty Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople))  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)
 

This days travels took me to Saxonville MA, an area in northeastern Framingham.  YM knows my falafel fetish.  I have driven by this place hundreds of times. The sign in the window that says "Best Falafel Gyro" has been beckoning to me for a long time.  The menu and another sign outside proclaim fine Mediterrean food.

 

This spot has been a seafood store and most recently a Mexican restaurant that Eatawholecake loved.  I'm sure he can provide the history of businesses in this location.  Eatawholecake, we will be looking for your history lesson in the comments below.

The falafel sandwich was freshly made by a father and daughter team by the looks of it.  There was chopped iceberg lettuce.  The pinkish tomatoes were diced and not ungenerous.  Onions were medium diced and did not overwhelm the other flavors.  There were no pickled somethings.  The pita was fresh and large.  The three falafel was golfball sized were very good quality and freshly fried.  The texture was coarser than breadcrumb, almost to rough beachsand (and that is the way I like it).  I was asked if I wanted hot sauce, which I opted for, but was not so hot nor spicy.  Overall sandwich size was large as seen in photo above.  In addition to hummus and tahini, there was some Havuc Kavurmasi, which apparently is cooked finely grated carrots mixed with garlic yogurt.  Fair value for the money.  It did have the best graphics on sandwich wrapping I've seen in a while.

The place was very clean and interestingly (not in a bad way) decorated. Service was decent with the young lady quite friendly when she pulled her earbuds out.  There were some younger kids around too.  You got to love family businesses.  I asked about the sign declaring the best falafel and she pointed to the man and said that "He thinks it is." to which the man added "It is the best.  I hope you like it".

The menu is an interesting mix of Turkish and other.  There are "Mediterranean Style" subs and wraps, a few not-Mediterrean subs and wraps, kebabs, salads, pasta and paninis.  There are even a few quesadillas (with a subtitle of Gozleme) listed.

Alas, it is not the Falafel King.

I'd give it 3B/6. 

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Falafel Feud-Natick MA

What: Large Falafel Sandwich

Where: Victor's Falafel Wraps

223 Worcester Street (Route 9)

Natick  MA 01760

How much: $5.99

 

(readers, cue Human League - The Lebanon)  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)
 

This days travels took me to Natick MA/Route 9 - the mighty commercial Mecca west of Boston.  YM knows my falafel fetish.  She was driving by a couple weeks earlier and the "falafel" sign jumped right out at her.  The clerk said that he have been open for seven months.

The falafel sandwich was freshly made by a man who I can only assume to be Victor.  There was fresh chopped romaine lettuce.  The tomatoes were diced and not too generous, but ripe.  The pickled somethings were good.  The pita was fresh and large, but then again, I did pay for a large and not a small which was a smaller sized pita, not a large pita cut in half.  The falafel was superball sized with the consistency of a matzo ball (soft and breadcrumb-like) and not generous in quantity.  I was asked if I wanted hot sauce, which I opted for and was more hot than spicy, but still very good.  Overall sandwich length was large, but may be an optical illusion as the ends were not wrapped over to seal anything in.  The sandwich was on the thin size increasing the bread to contents ratio (or should I just say skimpy). Yes, there was tahini drip out of the bottom.  Fair value for the money.

The place was very clean. Service was slow, even just making two falafel sandwiches.  This guy was VERY focused on prep.

A customer came in the door just after I did.  He ordered a small falafel sandwich right after I did.  The clerk made both sandwiches at the same time.  After laying out the pitas and lathering on the tahini on each, he put down onions in addition to the romaine.  The customer was reviewing the menu and looked up at that point and saw that there was onions and apologized that he forgot to ask for no onions,  The clerk started berating him for not asking earlier and beat the point to death.  It was almost as if he did not want to take them off.  The customer offered that he worked in an office and that he did not want bad breath.  After much heavy sighing and one more admonishment to tell him next time before he made the falafel. During different points in this "discussion", both "victor" and the customer caught my eye and gave me that "Can you believe this guy?" eyeball roll.

Website address from the menu does not work.  The place is supposed to be open until 10PM Monday through Saturday.

I'd give it 3B/6. 

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Falafel Feud-Gas Station Falafel

What: Falafel Sandwich

Where: Rockingham Gas

35 North Main Street

Newmarket  NH 03857

How much: $3.99

 

Bargain gas!  At $2.49!  What a deal! And Marlboros at $5.99.  And falafel?  You think that you would have to stop in to get at least one of these great deals.

(readers, cue That Petrol Emotion - Creeping to the Cross)  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)
 
You may know of the establishment of my ongoing Falafel Feud and my visit to Falafel King (see Falafelicious! below).  A couple of months ago (pre-blog), my travels took me through seacoast New Hamsphire.  I drove by this gas station and before my tiny brain could react to what I thought I saw on the sign, I drove right past.  I continued driving for another mile, asking myself if I saw it correctly and if my vision was correct, wondering just how good a falafel sandwich be from a gas station could be.  I did turn around, figuring it would be at best fair, but having the potential for being great or at least a great story.  It was fair back then and I thought, being in the area, that I should give it another try.

The answer is still, at best, fair.  The sandwich was not freshly made, but came out of a beverage cooler.  The sign three feet above and to the left the cooler said $3.49, but I was charged $3.99.  As I looked up and stared hard at the sign for fifteen seconds or so, the cashier finally offered that he had planned on making his own falafel at the counter below the sign a while ago and never got around to either making falafel or changing the sign.  He sells them pre-made as you can see from the picture.

There was no lettuce.  The tomatoes were diced and not too generous, but ripe.  The pickled somethings were good, if not a little soggy.  The pita was fair and exactly what you'd expect from sitting in the fridge.  The falafel (fried ground chick peas with spices) was superball sized with a granule size of coarse beach sand and not generous in quantity.  overall sandwich size was small compared to what I am used to at Falafel King.  Since the sandwich was cold, I did throw it into the crease where the windshield meets the dashboard and drove for ten minutes to let it warm up.  Fair value at best for the money.

Points for the something out of the ordinary for gas station food.

I'd give it 2B/6. 

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Just what you should expect for a sandwich from a gas station!  I didn't even have the heart to give it a link to my favorite disappointment song Disappointed by P.I.L.

Falafelicious!

What: Falafel Sandwich

Where: Falafel King

1504 Hancock Street

Quincy  MA 02169

How much: $4.75

All Hail the King!  The true King of Falafel.

(readers, cue The Pretenders - The Wait)  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)


You may know of my recent exploration of Banh Mi Battel-Quincy at Ba Le (see below).  I had to try another Banh Mi shop and I drove right past Falafel King.  I felt a bit bad...well, more of a tawdry/dirty/cheating scumbag looking for a cheap thrill and a quick score on the streets of Quincy.  The Banh Mi was great.  I have no regrets.  I got my thrill.  I found out my blind date was quite well educated, polite, confident and emotionally engaging.  But at the end of the day, my steady was there for me, with all the same qualities.

Every other Wednesday is generally Falafel Wednesday as I find myself on or near the south shore of MA with a definite lunch plan.  The guys at Falafel King ALWAYS took care of me and were unusually pleasant (though they may look a bit grumpy).  Ba Le has challenged the Falafel Wednesday notion.  I guess with the 5.5B/6 at Ba Le, Wednesdays are no longer dedicated solely to the Falafel.  Wednesdays will now be wracked with guilt and indecision.  Oh yeah, and offer two great options that I can obsess about for days.  The wait to hump day is a road paved with hunger and up a hill named desire.


Things to know:
The new young(est) guy will not ask you anything, just give the order to one of the other  guys.
The younger guy will ask if you want hummus on your Falafel sandwich.  Always say yes, otherwise it can be bit (only a bit) dry.  And ask for a bit of hot sauce.  His sandwiches are very good.
The owner, not old but the oldest guy there, will not ask you any questions, but will serve you THE BEST Falafel sandwich I have ever tasted.  He seems to work midday and no later than 2PM.

The lettuce is always crisp.  The tomatoes in summer and as early as this week were unbelievable fresh and tasty.  The pickled somethings are great and offer a nice salty and crunchy taste and texture contrast.  The pita is ALWAYS fresh, amazingly soft, yet chewy.  The falafel (fried ground chick peas with spices) is very light and not at all greasy.


Parking along Hancock can be a bit of a bear during noontime.  Just be patient.


I'd give it 6B/6. 

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A perfect score!