The location isn’t quite where you’d expect. Parked in front of the Corson Building, Hallava Falfel stands alone, a bright yellow beacon. I’ve been wanting to go to there for ages, but their hours were fluid. One week they’d be there, the next week I’d find a lonely street corner.

But finally last week–success. A bright yellow truck on Corson street just off Airport way. They even have a sign on the main street pointing you in their direction. Their hours are still meager: 11-2pm during the week, but at 1:30pm the guy was sitting outside grabbing a smoke, no customers in sight so I didn’t have to wait.

The menu is simple: two sandwiches and three beverages. Falafel or schwarma with your choice of coke, gingerale or something called “vimto” which is actually a british berry soda, but for some reason has arabic writing on the can.

I ended up deciding on falafel as I figured if they can’t make falafel they shouldn’t put it in the name. The sandwich was huge, but well packaged so that it didn’t squirt all over the sidewalk, and they used good thick freshly griddled pita.

But it’s the sauces that really made this sandwich—beet paste, tzatziki, hotsauce, and pickles. Beet paste especially was a welcome addition. The hot sauce was also more liberally applied, and the pickles were a new thing to me in falafel.

Sadly the falafel themselves were not so ingenious. They were a bit too floury for my taste, not as chickpea-y as they should be. I would hazard a guess they were made from mix. I did see a deep fryer in there and perhaps if I’d been there at noon mine would have come out fresh, but these were reheated.

Still, it was pretty damn good. I just think if if you’re going to go to all the trouble, cook up some chickpeas and make real falafel. I didn’t try the schwarma as I was wary of schwarma from a truck. Hard to roast lamb on a spit in a truck.

……………………………………………….
Hallava Falafel
Airport Way S And S Corson St
Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 667-4663
http://www.myspace.com/hallava

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She even made the newspaper.

Not to mention that she arranges super cool wine-food dinners, which Cobe and I were lucky enough to get invited to this past week.

We met up with a crowd of 10 or so other diners at Txori for a full spanish meal complete with wine pairings (2 per course!). All for $60. Food was very solid, though a bit on the tamer side for Txori. No octopus.

I was a big fan of the roasted duck with cherries.

But the wine blew us away.

We started with a beautiful cava, so dry it could cut crystal. Next came a verdejo, full of pineapple and kiwi fruit, light and clean like a spring day. Each wine matched the food, the epic pairing being the capcanes, a blend of merlot and tempranillo. Redolent with dark cherries and a hint of cinnamon, it was a perfect foil for the duck.

The duck was beautifully done, just pink in the center with a sauce of sour cherries and sides of roasted cauliflower and potatoes. An appetizer of potato onion omelet with aioli was nice, if a bit bland. The soup, a puree of potatoes and leeks was amazing for its perfect croutons, just the right amount of crispiness that allowed them to soak up the warm soup. Beets were perfectly cooked but overwhelmed by the sprinkle of garlic.

Our main complaint was the lack of green and the overwhelming amount of potatoes. I could have used a salad course.

But perhaps I’m the odd girl. I like my vegetables.

The night ended with a cheesecake topped with quince paste that was outstanding for it’s real cheese taste….as if someone had blended idizabel into the cake. It made for a beautiful finish to the meal.

It was a wonderful meal, and such a pleasure to have the wines so deftly matched to each course.

Now debating whether to have Catherine send a case to someone for christmas, or just keep it for myself. You can never have too much spanish wine.

…………………………………………..

Txori

Queso y Vino
Catherine Reynolds
206-518-1166
quesoyvino@gmail.com
http://www.madeleine.typepad.com/

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Wines:

2004 Gramona Grand Cuvee Cava Penedes, Spain $21.99

34% Xarello, 33%Macabeo, 33% Chardonnay Light dosage from the family’s solera Aged for 30 months

Gramona’s history is long and storied and the property has been a quality reference point in the zone for decades. As far back as 1816 a member of the family has been making wine in the Penedes. 1921 marks the year when the Gramona name began to be put on bottles of “Cava Champagne”. Today, the house is one of the few remaining family-owned estates in the region, with many having been bought by large companies.

2007 Sitios de Bodega Con Class Verdejo Rueda, Spain $ 14.99

100% older vine Verdejo, fermented in tank, aged in stainless on fine lees

Ricardo Sanz is a sixth generation winemaker whose family has been making wines since the 1800’s. Historically, the Duero river region has seen production since the 11th century, when monasteries planted vines to supply themselves and King Alfonso VI’s royal court. Until recently, the principal grape of the zone, Verdejo, was vinified like a sherry and allowed to oxidize. This practice was eliminated in the 1970’s, whereupon the Sanz family began working with the varietal as one of the few winegrowers to harvest at night exclusively by hand into small crates. Planted in high altitudes in pure chalk, and finished with a small amount of lees stirring to add texture and body.

2007 Cueto Rioja, Spain $9.99

Tempranillo 90%, Mazuelo 5%, Garnacha 5%

Ruben Saenz might be one of the most impressive and unassuming wunderkind in Rioja. Only 29, he has completed majors and a Ph.D in Chemistry and Winemaking. He has worked for several wineries in Rioja, done consulting as “driving winemaker” in other appellations and is finally achieving the dream of his life, making his own wines. First in a rented winery and, starting this year, in a small winery that he has just acquired and is renovating. Some of his vineyards are in Montelaturce, the landmark mountain in Rioja that is the inspiration for his labels and the flag of the state. These are some of the highest altitude vineyards in Rioja –you can virtually see almost all Rioja from these vineyards. All the harvest is done by hand. These vineyards have belonged to his family for three generations

2006 Artazuri Garnacha Navarra, Spain $11.99

100% Garnacha from 60-80 year old vines In the region of Navarra, red wine varietals dominate.

The Artazu project was created by Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle of Rioja’s famous Artadi estate. The goal was to take the same quest for varietal purity that the estate seeks in Tempranillo to the Garnacha varietal. Of the various locales that were investigated, the small village of Artazu in the most northern zone of Navarra was chosen for its extraordinary vines of Garnacha.

2006 Legado Muñoz Grenache Tierra de Castilla, Spain $9.99

100% Grenache, 3 months American oak

The Munoz family owns 80 has of carefully selected vineyards around Noblejas. Careful selection of the vines, crop thinning and poor calcareous soils combine to produce concentrated and structured wines. Yields are kept low, significantly lower than what is usual in the region. The average age of the vines is 30 years. Only native yeasts are used. The family acquired recently a former XVII century subterranean cellar excavated in the rock. The installations are being painstakingly restored and are being used already to age the top wines of the Estate in perfect conditions of temperature and humidity. Bottling takes place after a very light filtration. In 2004 Bienvenido was chosen as “Spanish Master of Wine”

2005 Capçanes Vall de Calas Montsant, Spain $19.99

The property is situated in the village of Capcanes and served for several years as the village cooperative. In the 1990’s, the co-op began making kosher wines for the Jewish population of Barcelona, and from that exposure in the much larger city, the property began to attract a greater level of interest.

2001 Lealtanza Reserva Seleccion Especial Rioja, Spain $34.99

100% Tempranillo 14 months new French oak

92pts Wine Advocate, 91pts Tanzer

Oscar Martinez is the third generation of well respected family of winemakers in Rioja. Altanza has 120 Has planted with Tempranillo around Fuenmayor, in the center of Rioja Alta. Tempranillo is the only varietal planted in the Estate. All grapes are handpicked in small cases and quickly taken to the winery.

2003 Capçanes Pansal de Calas Montsant, Spain $19.99

70% Garnacha from 100 year old vines, 30% Carinena Harvested 3 week after maturity 12 months in French oak 100 grams/liter of residual sugar

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and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

-William Carlos Williams

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I had a rough day. When the person you love goes away for the weekend and doesn’t call and doesn’t return your calls and doesn’t make their flight…

Sufice it to say you should always bring your cell phone charger.

He’s okay. Just a bad case of food poisoning.

But I am still a wreck. Too much of my day was spent imagining life without him and it sucked. So I dove into some leftover lamb shoulder from last night and the best ever hashbrowns, all spicy with paprika (from “the Best New Recipe”, it fuckin’ ROCKS). But I needed something more.

Ice cream. Breyers vanilla. With fresh raspberries from the farmer’s market, faintly crushed. I know…not really a recipe. But cures a bruised heart like magic.

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