Crisp 06-01-2010

Location: 110 West 40th St.
Time: 1pm

Feelings: West 40th street seems to have all the lunch spots nowadays. Boi Noodles, Maoz, and many other well known New York chains, and of course Crisp, a vegetarian falafel fusion joint that resembles Maoz. The unique thing about Crisp is that they have Mexican, African, Parisian, Mediterranean, and Athenian fusion falafel sandwiches available as well as regular hummus and falafel sandwiches.

The place was very clean and had an European fast food chain feel. At 1pm, it was packed with lunch crowd, but the line moved extremely fast, and I got my food in less than 10 minutes. I love that they implemented a two line system: one line for ordering and the other for pick-up. No one was confused by this system, and even the cougar looking tourist ladies in front of me were able to navigate the lines without waving their sassy hands.

I ordered Crisp Africa Salad ($9.25, North African peanut sauce, sweet potatoes, corn salad, cheery tomatoes, green onions, 4 falafels and whole wheat pita), but I highly recommend ordering a sandwich instead. I had no idea that the salad was $2 more expensive and could not believe I had spent $10 for a deconstructed falafel sandwich.

It was fresh and tasty, and I especially enjoyed the sauce. The falafels were light and crispy, and the pita was soft and fluffy. But as far as the overall flavor and pricing, I regrettably prefer Maoz. $10 for over-packaged falafel platter is a little too much of luxury. I would spend $10 at Azuri on any day, however. Azuri is an exception and completely worth every penny.