Amsterdam Falafelshop

I'm no expert on falafel, but I think many people would agree with me that the best falafel (at least what you can find in the States), resides at Amsterdam Falafelshop. I discovered this heavenly place when I lived in D.C. after college, and since leaving D.C., I always lamented that I didn't go more often. But now the falafel gods have answered my prayers... Amsterdam Falafelshop has opened a second location in Boston!!

Seriously, best news ever.

Alex, Lauren, and I ventured to the Boston location very recently, and I'm already plotting a return trip. It's located in Davis Square in Somerville (shout-out to Alex's ol' hood!).

The shop is pretty much just like the one in D.C. Small space, not very much seating, but full of personality.

You order a small or regular falafel sandwich or bowl. The small has four falafel balls, and trust me, that's enough. You're going to want to load up on toppings.

At the front of the toppings bar, there's garlic cream and tahini sauce. Alex understands that both are a must.

The toppings bar is glorious and colorful.

There's baba ganoush, hummus, purple cabbage, onions, pickles, and a whole host of other amazing things.

And please, do not forget to order fries. They are fried to perfection, and there are a ton of delicious dipping sauces.

My favorite dipping sauce is the garlic cream (reason = self-explanatory), but a close runner-up would be the curry ketchup. Talk about spicing up your ketchup! And I don't know if you can tell in the first picture, but the fries are placed in a hole in the table. Every table top has a hole cut in it so that you can put your cone of fries in an easy-to-reach, stable place. I am seriously in love with these people.

Okay, back to falafel. The falafel itself is wonderfully crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, providing just enough crumble. Here are some of our falafel sandwich creations:

They look happy, don't they? We were this happy the whole meal. Oh, and and don't forget to take a moment and appreciate the wheat pita bread (white is also an option, but I think wheat is tastier). The pita is lovingly toasted, supremely tasty, and it's the only thing standing between you and a mess of fallen toppings. 

Make a trip to Amsterdam Falafelshop. It's light on your wallet and OHSOGOOD on your taste buds.

Amsterdam Falafelshop

248 Elm Street
Somerville, MA 02144

617.764.3334

Ranoush: great food, overbearing service

I went to Saleem's on the loop a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty mediocre. The falafel was dry, the pita was cold, and it was all very dark and dingy. Now Saleem's is called Ranoush under new ownership (i'm guessing), and though the 'new' restaurant still serves Middle Eastern cuisine, everything else is different. Better atmosphere and definitely better food.

Our meal was absolutely delicious. The only downside to our meal was an overzealous red-headed waitress. She must have asked how we were doing twenty times, and she rushed us to order and to pay our bill. Total turn-off.

But back to the glorious food. We started with the Traditional Mezza for Two and split it between the four of us as an appetizer.

We were all wowed by the amount and quality of the food. The baba ganoush was nice and thick, the hummus came with some whole chickpeas, and it all was accompanied by a basket of warm pita. Pita served warm is so key. The cheese fatayer (pie stuffed with feta, fresh parsley, and onion) was to die for.

I loooooove falafel, and I was not disappointed with Ranoush's. It was hot and crispy on the outside, and soft but not too dry on the inside:

The kibbeh's (traditional Syrian dish of fried balls of spiced meat and burghal) outside texture was also hot and crispy and yum.

I love the fun shape of the kibbeh! I didn't love the inside as much, but that's only because I don't like gamey meat, and I have a feeling the meat inside was ground lamb.

So after this appetizer plate was only about half-eaten, our waitress came and asked if she could take it away.

What. the. heck.

I can deal with slow waiters, annoying waiters, even waiters with attitude... but the second you try to take away my delicious food, you are dead to me. There was so much food left on the plate! I could NOT believe taking it away was even a possibility.

And after our entrees came, she tried to take our app plate away AGAIN. I was about to punch her in the face. And I usually try not to punch people.

Seth and Jake ordered the beef shwarma, and Deirdre ordered the lamb shish kebab. It all looked like this:

Juicy.

I got the batenjaan bil foren: baked aubergines, onions, green and red peppers in a tomato sauce.

Did you know that aubergines = eggplant? I had no idea. I'm glad my meal partners are more vegetable-savvy than me.
I never had this dish before, so I don't really have a good comparison, but I really enjoyed it. The slight bitterness of the eggplant went well with the tang of the sauce. It heated up well the next day, too.

All I know is that the rice was fluffy and perfect!
Can't wait for my next visit to Ranoush...

But that red-head better NOT be there!

Ranoush
6501 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130
314-726-6874