Falafel Mecca Offers City Gluttons a Challenge Not Easily Refused

We love Forest Hills, and we love falafel, at least in the form in which it appears at On the Grill, our number one go-to shawarma-and-falafel place in the five boroughs. But are we, or you, man or woman enough to beat On the Grill’s falafel challenge? Gothamist’s Joe DiStefano reports that the restaurant has instituted the Great Falafel Eating Contest, which stipulates that anyone who eats five falafel sandwiches in 29 minutes gets them free, plus a $50 gift certificate – presumably, to be spent on more falafel sandwiches. If you’re thinking, “Pshaw! There’s no meat in falafel! I can eat all I want!,” be warned: Tzur Kalaf, On the Grill’s colorful owner, bakes huge, puffy pitas in-house, every one of which could paralyze an average person. And his sandwiches aren’t small. Which is maybe one more reason why you should go to On the Grill and make the effort. On the Grill, 98-102 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills; 718-897-4829. Competitive Eating Comes to Forest Hills, Well Sorta [Gothamist]

Posted 01/17/08 in Grub Street : NewsFeed

Tags: competitive eating, falafel, forest hills, newsfeed, on the grill, tzur kalaf

Hill Country Delivers in Flatiron; Music Coffeehouse Comes to Chelsea

Astoria: “Restaurant/cafe/bar/club type establishment” Apollon has closed. [Joey in Astoria] Chelsea: Next Tuesday music production school DubSpot is opening a cafe on 14th Street at 9th Avenue that will feature La Colombe coffee. [Blog Chelsea] Flatiron: Hill Country’s now delivering from 21st to 31st Street between 8th avenue and Park, but if you order enough ’cue they’ll lug it anywhere. [Grub Street] Forest Hills: Shwarma destination On the Grill now sprinkles fried, lemony, Moroccan style jalapeños on its platters. [Gothamist] East Village: Il Buco is closed for yearly renovations, but will reopen September 5th. [Grub Street] Harlem: Canines and their humans can unite this Saturday for the first St. Nick’s Dog Park Coffee Bark of September. [Uptown Flavor]

Posted 08/28/07 in Grub Street : Neighborhood Watch

Tags: apollon, astoria, bbq, chelsea, dubspot, east village, forest hills, harlem, hill country, neighborhood watch, on the grill, shwarma

Spin the Shawarma Wheel

Edible Brooklyn has a piece on a subject very dear to our hearts: Those mysterious wheels of meat called shawarma that you find in falafel and gyro joints around town. The article covers the best of Brooklyn; our picks for outside of Brooklyn follow.

Posted 01/25/07 in Grub Street : What to Eat Tonight

Tags: on the grill, orhan yegen, shawarma, sip sak, What to Eat Tonight, yatagan kebab house