This is a healthy, vegan/ vegetarian heaven, a newly opened business with excellent falafel. Actually, the falafel here is the main feature. The dream child of a lovely, soft spoken owner/chef, this small, family-run business will give you a better understanding why, if you travel to Lebanon, the food taste so much better than most in the US. Close your eyes...take a big bite...and you too can experience being in the best little cafe in Beirut without needing a passport.
These falafel are far better than the heavy, dense, green version. They are crisp and clean tasting, a lighter, delicate recipe that starts two days earlier with the soaking of dried garbanzo and fava beans. Once well soaked, they will be ground into a paste with texture. At that point, I believe she said she adds an additional 17 spices and other ingredients added that ultimately make her recipe so unique and mouth wateringly good. There is nothing spicy, just subtle and complex. As you can imagine, it's a labor of love before it finally hits the fryer. The result is a texture and flavor that is wonderful.
Besides falafel, she offers roasted vegetables that features cauliflower, eggplant, cubed potato, pickles, and the traditional purple colored radish. You can order a wrap or a bowl, and pick your preferred ingredients if you wish.
She lovingly makes her own stuffed grape leaves. They are big and fat, and of course, vegetarian, but I must return to try these.
She makes everything from scratch. Her offerings include hummus, muhammara, pickles, pink radish, tahini, and other sauces. The oil she uses is high quality.
She also makes her own juices, and oh my, they are special; 4 flavors: hibiscus, mint, mango, and apricot, that must be tried. Very impressive!
And don't forget to try her homemade biscotti. I cannot resist the anise seed ingredient. Her recipe is perfect for that after-dinner indulgence, especially with a fine cup of coffee.
The kitchen is impeccably clean and well organized. There are rows of bins of those wonderful, freshly ground spices and ingredients that are incorporated into the falafel mix, and all of her creations.
I insist on returning and heartily encourage people to come see what Flat O Wrap is all about. Her food is refreshing and clean tasting, and you will be greeted with a very welcoming vibe. You will find her tiny shop (3 tables total) in the same shopping complex as Stater Bros. Market. Easy parking, too!
Update:
Returned a week later and discovered that I am in love with the falafel bowl even more than the wrap. The wonderful thing about the bowl is that you get a taste of pretty much everything, with the exception of the roasted veggies (that comes in a different bowl). The tabbouleh is my idea of perfectly wonderful because the parsley salad has chopped mint as well. The muhammara ( a red dip made with roasted red pepper) is some of the best I've had. You will find portions of hummus and a nicely smokey babaganoush, pickles, pink daikon radish, one stuffed grape leaf, and at last, 4 plump crispy falafel with a small cup of tahini. The bowl is a work of art, and the quality of each component is above reproach. I would love to award her with 10 stars, its that good! Now that you know, hope you give Flat O Wrap a try. Your tummy will thank you. read more