A couple of day’s before I was due to fly to San Jose, California for the launch of Nissan’s new Z-car we were watching Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. On this episode, he visited a place called the Falafel Drive-In, which has been pumping out the middle eastern chick pea treats since the Sixties. We noticed that it was in San Jose. A quick trip to google showed that it was a scant 1.1 miles from the hotel. Given that my plane would land just after 1 pm, this was a perfect opportunity to fill my tummy and stretch my legs after a long flight.
Customer’s who were interviewed during the show commented that the place is always busy and I have to say that was true while I was there. A small line up was there the whole time, as people ordered, waited and then most sit down to enjoy their lunch. You could tell who the Canadian guy was, as I was the only one not seated in the shade.
The place makes a pretty good falafel, at least on a par with what I’m used to here in Toronto. Their home made tahini and hot sauce are outstanding. The tahini is nice and creamy while the hot sauce has just the right amount of heat, while also having tons of flavour. My only complaint is the pita. The place I normally go has nice soft, pliable pitas that don’t break apart while FDI’s pita do crack open, meaning that a stack of napkins is needed to control the goodness that oozes out all over your fingers. They are also famous for the banana milkshakes that do a great job of balancing the heat of the hot sauce. Thick, creamy and full of bananas, the shake was a nice surprise.
If another press trip takes me to San Jose, I’ll be sure to visit again. Next time I think I’ll try the Kifta Kabob, as it looked awesome.
