O' Falafel

Address: 790 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106. 801.487.7747.

Review: My buddy at Publius Online loves O' Falafel (O'), so when BYU was getting pasted by USU, my wife and I decided it was time to decamp from the couch and go to dinner.

O' makes Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, falafel being (obviously) most name worthy. We were in the mood for vegetarian dishes, so we ordered a lentil-spinach soup and majadareh. Let's discuss the lentil soup first.

When you put a spoonful of this to your mouth, the first characteristic that stands out is thick creaminess. This is created, not so much by adding thickening agents, as it is by blending the lentils and allowing their inherent starchiness to do its thing. Because lentils were (1) the primary ingredient, and (2) don't possess a great amount of flavor on their own, the soup was quite mild. Spinach was more a hint than a predominant flavor. A splash of lemon woke up the soup, but it was still very mild and a bit one dimensional. Sometimes simple is just too simple.

The majadareh is a dish of caramelized onions, mixed with lentils and rice, topped with crispy onions. It's served with a green salad heavy on greens and cucumbers, and a side of yogurt cucumber mint salsa. The majadareh itself is a starch bomb, and without accompaniment there wouldn't be much to it. Thankfully, O' provides you with a chili-vinegar sauce that rocks the world. It's hot, salty, vinegary, and full of gorgeous, fruity chili flavor. When matched with the majadareh, the dish sings. (I've never experienced a dish that is so totally made by a topping.) Likewise, the yogurt cucumber sauce brings out the majadareh's great onion overtones. The salad is a nice departure from the starch on the other side of the plate. In all, a quite enjoyable dish.

The next time we go, we'll be trying some meat, which I understand is quite good, as well as, because you gotta, some falafel. And we'll be returning soon.

Rating: 7/10 (5/10 is average).