Falafel #2

Lunch today was at a local restaurant in a Druze village, after a jeep tour of the Golan Heights. The owner brought out a family style spread, as you can see.

This falafel was definitely notch above the first one. Hot and crispy, fresh from the oil, it was almost too hot to pick up right away. The sesame seeds on top gave it a extra nutty flavor. I preferred the texture of this falafel, it was firm but still soft, with more spices. The homemade hummus and tahini were delicious. And best was the labna, slightly salty, almost like a chunky ricotta, with a well of olive oil and zatar.

Falafel #1

One of my missions on this trip is a falafel quest. So, today we had our first falafel in Israel. After a ridiculously huge breakfast, and sampling Greek spreads and dolmas, amazing marzipan and meringues, cheese bourekas with hard boiled eggs and flavored rice (which could be its own post), we had to top it off with falafel and Sharma.

I don't know the name of the restaurant, but it was a good first Israeli falafel. It was a fresh and hot, a little chunkier than I'm used to, crispy outside and moist inside. A touch of something sweet. The salad toppings were great. Standard cucumbers and tomatoes, a carrot and parsley salad, and my favorite, roasted red peppers. They also had a super spicy red chili sauce, but nothing these Texans (except a couple) can't handle.