Falafel on Hudson Street?

I’ve been pretty lazy lately with regards to lunch, and the weather this week hasn’t exactly made me regret the decision – however, the quality of food I’ve gotten has, for the most part.  Let’s see…other than the usual Alidoro sandwich array, I’ve had Malaysian delivery from Penang (mediocre, and the delivery guy yelled at me for not tipping enough – considering this was a Seamlessweb order and the tip was pre-calculated by their site, I felt like it wasn’t my fault, but gave him a few bucks anyway), bad Thai from Morakote (close to the abymsality of Kai Kai, formerly in the space), and probably one too many cheesesteaks from the cart outside.

Today was going to be different, I resolved, and I wandered up Hudson St. in an effort to find something relatively healthy and not too expensive.  Sushi would have been a good option, but the sole Japanese on the street (En Brasserie) is both not open for lunch and way out of my price range.  I considered Ray’s Super Deli, home of the $4 bucket o’ rice, meat, and beans, but they’re closed for six weeks for what looked like some major renovations.

I ended up instead at the previously unexplored Hudson Falafel – other than its location near W. 10th St, I can’t figure out why I haven’t been there before.  It offers a slightly expanded version of the usual falafel hut menu – the sandwich filling options include the garlicky eggplant spread moutabel, shrimp, and burgers made of veggie, turkey, and beef.  Salad options are relatively extensive as well, and there are (praise be!) miniature ouzi pies in both chicken and vegetarian varieties.

Today’s order included the pumpkin kibbeh sandwich ($4), which I can describe only as a ground meatloaf-like concoction that looks superficially like an orange falafel ball.  (No meat in this one, though a lamb-based kibbeh is also available.)  It proved a delicious sandwich accoutrement with tahini sauce, though the lettuce and barely acceptable tomatoes ended up taking most of the volume between the layers of pita.

I also tried the fava bean salad (foul moudamas, $2.25), which made me wonder if these favorites of Hannibal Lecter are supposed to be undercooked – having only had them previously in a stew-like foul, I’m a little confused by the hardness of these beans.  Nevertheless, the flavoring was intriguing, with the featured ingredients being parsley, lemon, garlic, onion, tomato, garlic, and olive oil.

I’ll probably be back to Hudson Falafel – it’s certainly a better option than sketchy Thai or cheesesteaks, and cheaper than ordering from Seamlessweb any day.