A little more than a decade ago, in a party neighborhood called Adams Morgan in Washington D.C., kids got so drunk they'd have fist fights over huge slices of pizza that weren't even good. The fights were almost understandable because everyone had been subjected to shooters the color of Jolly Ranchers all night and the only other option in the neighborhood was a lackluster burrito. Drunken foodies were utterly screwed. Food-wise, anyway.
Then Amsterdam Falafel opened on the strip and everything changed. Tucked into a narrow row house with a dining room the size of a Volkswagen bus, this tiny-late night falafel house served impossibly delicious food.
The falafel are made with chickpeas and formed only when you place your order. The balls are smaller than Titleists and fried until super crunchy, while the coarse interior stays bright and fresh-tasting. You can place a small or large order, and a few minutes later you're handed a paper cone with a pita bread overflowing with steaming hot falafel sitting at the bottom.
This is where the fun begins. There's a topping bar with condiments, salads and pickled vegetables and the only limit on a diner is the structural integrity of that paper cone they were handed. Late night falafel revelers have been known to heap ridiculous amounts of yogurt, hummus, tabouleh and pickled beets into the flimsy vessel, such that the falafel can no longer be seen.
There are also french fries, which are also served in a paper cone and should only be topped with the Belgian mayonnaise which is dispensed from a giant pump. The condiment has an off white, almost yellow color and bests grocery store mayonnaise by a lot.
What's even better is the new falafel shop is slated for Deep Ellum, so drunks can stumble out of Trees and eat something other than terrible diner food or Serious Pizza. The new shop is expected to open in the coming months. Get your hand on a Red Headed Slut and get ready for it. Delicious drunk food is headed for Dallas.
