A Festive Falafel Feast

I celebrated the Jewish New Year in the city of lights by treating myself to the best falafel sandwich my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of tasting. L’as du Falafel is a tiny joint on rue des Rosiers in the heart of Paris’ Jewish Quartier. The neighborhood is a lively maze of narrow cobblestone lanes, twisting and turning in an un-grid-like fashion, the way Paris streets do so well. I read about the joint in my travel guide and I’d seen this article in the NY Times. It was even recommended to me by real-life local Parisians themselves. Good food with rave reviews, well then I must go.

I wandered into the mint-green-walled, no frills eatery and decided to splurge the extra 2 Euros to ‘eat-in’ and sit at a table instead of taking it to go like most Parisians who seem to eat and walk everywhere. For this messy delicacy, I needed a napkin and a seat-I only have so many clothes-can’t afford to get them all gooey. The falafel sandwich was delivered to me on a paper plate in a plastic wrapper (as so many good street foods seem to come) and good for keeping your hands (your main utensil) clean and vice versa.

The pita shell was fresh and soft. The small balls of fried chick peas were moist, soft, and well-seasoned. Add to that some fresh shredded cabbage, crunchy cucumber, sweet tomatoes, and a great yoghurt sauce and you have a meal from the heavens. Plus it didn’t hurt that it was served to me by possibly the best looking Israeli waiter I had ever seen. L’shana Tovah.