Falafel

Falafel fanatic" describes my relationship to those Middle Eastern fried spheres made with nutty-tasting garbanzo beans. Going through my wallet recently, I found several frequent-buyer cards from my favorite falafel stand. Marked with X's, they proved I had consumed 15 of the Middle Eastern sandwiches in less than a month! This shocking realization sent me into the kitchen with a plan to create a baked, more healthful version that I teamed with hummus and tabbouleh as toppings. Menu Falafel on pita with hummus and tabbouleh Greek salad Rice pudding Sparkling water Falafel on Pita With Hummus and Tabbouleh Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: 18 minutes Makes 4 servings 1 can (15 ounces)

I make no secret of my affinity for small, neighborhood restaurants, the ones that draw character from their surroundings while doing wonders for real estate values. Don't feel like cooking? Walk a few blocks. Priceless. Such places tend to have two things in common: The kitchen's output is far superior to what you'd expect if you were judging the place on its looks; and no matter how tight the seating, they always manage to feel more intimate than cramped. Baba's Kitchen , at the end of a block of rowhouses on Fort Avenue, is such a place.

Mediterranean Palace makes a world-class falafel, a falafel that's worth a long drove to the corner of York Road and Northern Parkway.I suspect that Maan Kanfsh knows he has a winner on his hands, and that's why he keeps handing out complimentary servings of his delicious fried chickpea patties. They're soft inside, crisp and nutty with sesame seeds outside. One bite of these unusual, doughnut-shaped morsels will start the Baltimore-area falafel-lover on a regular pilgrimage to this simple luncheonette.

There never seem to be enough places around here to get good and healthful Mediterranean food, things like pita sandwiches, hummus and falafel. Especially falafel. This makes a nice little place like Tahina's especially welcome. Tahina's is sandwiched on a small strip between the popular chains Noodles & Company and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Tahina's looks like it's part of a chain, too, a particularly well-thought-out chain. This is the only one, though. But when Tahina's owners, Jory Schurnick and Jeff McCabe, are asked the inevitable chain question, their typical response is that the Owings Mills location is "the first of 300."

Falafel has caused an uproar on a street corner in downtown Baltimore.When Vassos Yiannouris and his wife, Maria Kaimakis, introduced the Middle Eastern chick pea ball a year ago from their cart on the sidewalk, they only wanted to make a living. They had lost their jobs in the car business.At first, the Cypriana Sidewalk Gourmet cart's business was slow at Light and Water streets. Few people had ever heard of falafel. But soon the couple's food caught the fancy of lawyers, dentists and bankers who stood in line to eat their falafel and grilled chicken in pita bread.

Only in a town like Baltimore could a food as foreign as falafel cause such an uproar.When Vassos Yiannouris and his wife, Maria Kaimakis, introduced the Middle Eastern chick pea ball a year ago from their sidewalk cart, they only wanted to make a living after losing jobs in car sales and financing businesses.At first, business was slow at the Cypriana Sidewalk Gourmet at the corner of Light and Water streets. Few people had ever heard of falafel. But soon the couple's food caught the fancy of lawyers, dentists and bankers who stood in line to eat their falafel and grilled chicken in pita bread.

Bowing to pressure from Water Street property owners and restaurateurs, the owners of a popular sidewalk falafel stand reluctantly agreed yesterday to move to a new location at the corner of Light and Redwood streets.The move, which takes effect Monday, ends a bitter seven-month zoning dispute that pitted a young couple selling falafel -- a Middle Eastern fried chick pea ball -- against powerful commercial interests that wanted the sidewalk vendors to move from the corner of Light and Water streets.

Bowing to pressure from Water Street property owners and restaurateurs, the owners of a popular sidewalk falafel stand reluctantly agreed yesterday to move to the corner of Light and Redwood streets.The move, which takes effect Monday, ends a bitter seven-month zoning dispute that pitted a young couple selling falafel -- a Middle Eastern fried chick pea ball -- against powerful commercial interests that wanted the sidewalk vendors to move from the corner of Light and Water streets.The controversy brought dozens of nearby business owners, office workers, bankers and politicians to the couple's defense as they flooded the city's zoning office with letters and petitions on their behalf.

I make no secret of my affinity for small, neighborhood restaurants, the ones that draw character from their surroundings while doing wonders for real estate values. Don't feel like cooking? Walk a few blocks. Priceless. Such places tend to have two things in common: The kitchen's output is far superior to what you'd expect if you were judging the place on its looks; and no matter how tight the seating, they always manage to feel more intimate than cramped. Baba's Kitchen , at the end of a block of rowhouses on Fort Avenue, is such a place.

La Marsa, a chic little bar in Fells Point, has added a small tapas-style menu to its offerings. Owner Raouf Yousfi, who hails from Tunisia, has hired chef Najiba Debbiehi to turn out Mediterranean-inspired nibbles like tagine, kebobs and falafel. Portions are small, and the options are limited. If you arrive hungry, odds are you will leave if not hungry then certainly less than full. Service is lackadaisical. Poor:]

La Marsa, a chic little bar in Fells Point, has added a small tapas-style menu to its offerings. Owner Raouf Yousfi, who hails from Tunisia, has hired chef Najiba Debbiehi to turn out Mediterranean-inspired nibbles like tagine, kebobs and falafel. Portions are small, and the options are limited. If you arrive hungry, odds are you will leave if not hungry then certainly less than full. Service is lackadaisical. Poor:]

The Baltimore Jewish Community Center has had a facelift, and it looks just mah-va-lous. Both the in-town location, on Park Heights Avenue, and the outpost in Owings Mills are lighter and brighter than ever. The renovations were finished about two years ago, but they didn't seem truly complete until recently, when both sites added cafes, an amenity that has been sorely missed for quite some time. The cafe at each location has the same management and menu. In both places, it's called the Eden Cafe, and it serves a kosher dairy menu, meaning no meats are used.

As I entered Caramel's in Pikesville on a recent evening, a young Orthodox mother was shepherding out an astonishing number of contented young children digging into colorful snowballs. It was a good sign, but inside, the restaurant, which features a large photograph of the New York skyline, looked a little worn-out, like a party of 24 had just finished dinner, with stuff cluttered on some of the tables and on the floor. A few other families, couples and kids were picking up pizza or waiting for ice cream.

Falafel fanatic" describes my relationship to those Middle Eastern fried spheres made with nutty-tasting garbanzo beans. Going through my wallet recently, I found several frequent-buyer cards from my favorite falafel stand. Marked with X's, they proved I had consumed 15 of the Middle Eastern sandwiches in less than a month! This shocking realization sent me into the kitchen with a plan to create a baked, more healthful version that I teamed with hummus and tabbouleh as toppings. Menu Falafel on pita with hummus and tabbouleh Greek salad Rice pudding Sparkling water Falafel on Pita With Hummus and Tabbouleh Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: 18 minutes Makes 4 servings 1 can (15 ounces)

Aladdin's Cafe started out as a pizza and sub shop, then became a pizza, sub and Lebanese food place, and now serves only Lebanese food. Any restaurant is to be commended for focusing on what it does best. As owner Nader Abushkhei noted, many Locust Point restaurants serve pizza, but Lebanese food is still unusual, even in this rapidly gentrifying area. However, it would be nice if the menu reflected its new focus. The carryout and sit-down menus still list all the subs and pizzas that are no longer being served, as well as deli standards such as fries, chicken wings and onion rings.

PARSA Kabob is tucked away in a corner of the Yorktowne Plaza Mall in Cockeysville. Actually, "hidden" may better describe its location, but the place is worth seeking out. Its modest decor and relatively limited menu belie an honest, unadorned cuisine of good Middle Eastern and Persian foods. More than a few things about Parsa Kabob reminded us of some of this area's once humble and now very popular ethnic restaurants (most notably the Orchard Market in Towson). These include the nearly invisible storefront, its plain white box of a space, the sparse decorations and finishes, the basic cafe chairs and tables, some small, pleasantly gurgling fountains and a curtained-off retail area with plain metal shelves full of Middle Eastern staples.

There never seem to be enough places around here to get good and healthful Mediterranean food, things like pita sandwiches, hummus and falafel. Especially falafel. This makes a nice little place like Tahina's especially welcome. Tahina's is sandwiched on a small strip between the popular chains Noodles & Company and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Tahina's looks like it's part of a chain, too, a particularly well-thought-out chain. This is the only one, though. But when Tahina's owners, Jory Schurnick and Jeff McCabe, are asked the inevitable chain question, their typical response is that the Owings Mills location is "the first of 300."

The Baltimore Jewish Community Center has had a facelift, and it looks just mah-va-lous. Both the in-town location, on Park Heights Avenue, and the outpost in Owings Mills are lighter and brighter than ever. The renovations were finished about two years ago, but they didn't seem truly complete until recently, when both sites added cafes, an amenity that has been sorely missed for quite some time. The cafe at each location has the same management and menu. In both places, it's called the Eden Cafe, and it serves a kosher dairy menu, meaning no meats are used.

Mediterranean Palace makes a world-class falafel, a falafel that's worth a long drove to the corner of York Road and Northern Parkway.I suspect that Maan Kanfsh knows he has a winner on his hands, and that's why he keeps handing out complimentary servings of his delicious fried chickpea patties. They're soft inside, crisp and nutty with sesame seeds outside. One bite of these unusual, doughnut-shaped morsels will start the Baltimore-area falafel-lover on a regular pilgrimage to this simple luncheonette.

Bowing to pressure from Water Street property owners and restaurateurs, the owners of a popular sidewalk falafel stand reluctantly agreed yesterday to move to a new location at the corner of Light and Redwood streets.The move, which takes effect Monday, ends a bitter seven-month zoning dispute that pitted a young couple selling falafel -- a Middle Eastern fried chick pea ball -- against powerful commercial interests that wanted the sidewalk vendors to move from the corner of Light and Water streets.