\What is Falafel?"" you might ask. That's what the King of Falafel's owner Mishel Aldaee would like to help you find out. Located at 453 W. Gilman St., the King of Falafel is only minutes from class, the Capitol, the Kohl Center and State Street.
The King of Falafel of course, serves falafel, which is as described on the menu as ""a blend of ground chickpeas, fava beans, vegetables, and our special spices.""
As described by Adrian Andrijasevic, a UW-Madison junior, ""It's a very different flavor, it's not what we're used to. I don't know how to describe it, but it's damn good.""
When ordering the falafel, you not only get fried falafel cakes, but also dipping sauce, lettuce and what looks like flattened pita bread. Also free are instructions on how to eat them. Mohamad, the server on duty, and also a friend of the owner, gave very helpful pointers and was also very encouraging. It made the scariness of trying something very different from a cheeseburger much easier.
When ordering an entre like the Kefta Kabob, ground beef mixed with onions, parsley and our special spices, you also receive a bowl of soup before the entre and tea after the meal. The soup is called ""harerah"" and is made of rice, green lentils, vegetables, and spices. The soup was one patron's favorite.
""Although I'm not a vegetable lover, the soup was amazing,"" Andrijasevic said. ""How can you make soup taste fresh?""
The tea was also a nice ending to the meal, and not just because it was free. It had a light sweet aftertaste and warmed the drinker before heading back out into the cold.
""In the summer the tea might not be as nice, but this place will be amazing. It will feel just like a Middle-Eastern caf, or at least what I would imagine one being like,"" Andrijasevic said.
Mishel decided to open his own restaurant after realizing that he loved to cook for his friends.
Every Sunday he and friends would get together for a grilled meal and they kept telling him that he should start a restaurant. After taking English as a second language at UW-Stevens Point, he moved to Madison to keep taking classes at Madison Area Technical College and met his wife. After getting married he decided he did not want to work for a car dealer and that he would pursue his dream of starting a restaurant of his own. The King of Falafel is his first restaurant. He decided on the location on Frances Street because, he said, ""This location is good, downtown, near students. [You] get more friendly people when near students.""
The food was prepared to perfection. Mishel and his staff did not make the mistake made by Kabul of using overwhelming spices instead of allowing the flavor of the food to make the meal. All of the food was flavorful and freshly prepared. In fact, Mishel commented that the freshness was actually a problem because he makes all of the falafel fresh everyday, and also marinades the meat for several of the dishes overnight, so it's a guessing game as to how much of each dish he should prepare for the next day.
Despite the trouble it causes Mishel, the food's taste in the end is well worth the extra effort. Mishel and his staff really cared about the appearance and final flavor of their food, a nice change from the factory style food usually consumed quickly by students between classes. Sometimes those oddly composed cheeseburgers from nameless fast food joints just don't seem like the preparer was in a very good mood.
The ambience at the King of Falafel was ethnic, with pieces from the Arabic region on the walls and a mix of Middle Eastern music playing. All in all, it is a great place to take a date for a refreshing and filling meal that will not force you to return anything to the bookstore to pay for it. Two can eat with leftovers for $28 including drinks and the appetizer. The King of Falafel offers both dine-in and carryout.
With fantastic portions, great flavor and reasonable prices, this new addition to Madison is a must-eat.
