Christos' Falafel - 20th and Market St

Officially it's know as Christos' falafel, unofficially you can hear it being referred to as the falafel nazi or the smoke cart or the best falafel in the city.  Why it's refereed to as the smoke cart should be somewhat obvious from my picture.  He uses a real charcoal grill as opposed to the standard griddle you see in most carts and when that grill is running at full capacity the stack of smoke can be more akin to the dust storms that rolled over Phoenix the other day.  If you don't enjoy the smell of heavy charcoal grilling then you probably want to avoid this side of the street during the lunch rush because it will be in your face, up your nose, down your pants.
The most infamous of his titles, the falafel nazi, should be familiar to anyone who watches Seinfeld.  "He's not a Nazi.  He just happens to be a little eccentric.  Most geniuses are"  This man suffers for his craft and demands that we understand and appreciate it.

When you're standing in line you'll notice the very orderly progression of patrons who, like some inhabitant of an Orwellian thought controlled state, step up in turn, wait for however long it takes and without a word receive their platter and pay.  On occasion you will hear "Gus"(real name Kostadinos Hristis) saying something with a heavy accent.  Usually it's about the quality of his ingredients, the cucumber that he had imported from a far away country, his fresh made salsa or how his food is restaurant quality.  You'd be best served to nod in agreement and say a few words of affirmation.  The man works hard for his food and you best recognize.
You might be wondering how you know what you're getting and how much it is when the only exchange is from Gus to you.  You won't find help around the cart because you will see no signage.  Well the simple answer to that is you don't.  You get what he serves you and you pay what he considers fair.  I've paid everything from up to $12 to what seems to be the stable price as of late $7, all with a smile and a thank you.  You don't question the nazi, you bend over and take what he gives you.

1) "........." - $7

So what did the Nazi decide to serve me today?  Well, you'll always find falafel balls and char grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce, those are constants in the platter.  The starch component today is perfectly cooked and seasoned rice.  Veggies come in the form of the aforementioned cucumbers that were grilled along side the chicken.  On the side came soft pita bread and a first for me, a small peach!  I won't go into the usual boring descriptions of how tender the chicken is or the crispness of the outer crust of the falafel, suffice to say it's all there and those ever changing supporting components are always a pleasant surprise.  Topping the entire dish is some sort of garlic sauce that I can't quite identify but it's garlicy goodness.   

Overall LTE score [9.5/10]  I'll bring up the last of the aka's that I mentioned at the start of my review for my conclusion. Best falafel in the city.  Not only is it amazingly good but you get almost enough food for 2 meals and all for just $7.(this price has been stable for some time but if he says its more...pay it!  Safe bet would be to just hand him a $20)  The Nazi moniker really refers less to his personality(which honestly, he's more friendly then he's made out to be) and more towards the perfection he seeks in his food, the food that you'll receive consistently good every time you eat from here.  Some helpful tips though, to stay on his good side, don't ask for anything special, what he gives you is enough and definitely don't ask for a platter to take back to your friend at the office.  If he/she wants one he/she will wait like the rest of us and Gus will make sure you understand this.

The only negative I'll say about Christo's is that you should expect to wait.  He does not rush his food and if there are 10 people in line a 30 minute wait is not out of the question.  But you wouldn't want him to rush your food so I think, if you can spare the time, the wait is worth it.  (Advice would be to come early, say around 11:40) Also he's been know to disappear for days or weeks at a time.  In the winter he's more likely to be missing, probably climbing to the top of some mountain in search of fresh ingredients. 

New York Gyro Cart - 20th and Market St

The Gyro Cart

It was on a cold January night out in NYC where a group of friends and I came stumbling out of a bar at 2AM starving and in search for food.  One of my more NYC frequenting friends declares that what we need to fill our alcohol soaked bellies are platters. The rest of the crew excitedly agrees. Not wanting to seem like the tourist I was I don't question this generically named food and blindly stumble along until we reach a line of what seems to be a small army queued in front of a steaming cart. It was getting near 3AM by the time we arrived and at this hour, in the freezing cold, this line was baffling.  We diligently stood in line, huddled in our jackets, half drunk, half freezing, me left wondering what could possess so many people to be here at this ungodly hour.  When I finally reach the front I order what everyone else had asked for, combo rice, white sauce, hot sauce. What I ate that night forever changed me and opened my eyes to the world of halal gyro carts.
For those who haven't had the pleasure this was the 53rd and 6th Halal Cart in midtown Manhattan and it's a meal that I've been chasing after ever since that late January night all those years back.

1) Gyro platter, white sauce, hot sauce w/ drink - $6
While I'd like to say that I've finally found what I'd been searching for when this cart opened up on the corner a few months back, honestly, I don't think anything can quite live up to that night in NYC. It was just too perfect. A memory that seems more like a dream at this point.  But, as far as Philly is concerned, this is about as close as I've been able to get.  The platter comes with gyro meat over yellow rice with lettuce, raw onions, tomato and the option of white sauce and hot sauce(not an option, get it).  The gyro meat is tender, well seasoned and flavorful, the veggies are fresh and the sauces should not even be an option.  The white sauce(aka crack sauce) in particular is always a favorite of mine.

IMO this platter is best eaten with everything mashed together where you can get all the parts in each mouthful.  Not only is this delicious but for $6 including a drink it's one of the cheapest eats around.  

Overall LTE score [8/10]  When this cart first opened I literally ate it every day for 2 weeks straight.  At what used to be $5 it was a steal, not that $6 is any less of a bargain.  The staff are friendly, its clean, its delicious, its cheap, what else can you ask for.  Although this isn't 53rd and 6th in Philly, New York Gyro does a lot to earn its namesake.
*The regular pita gyros go for $4 and are also great.  The pitas they're served on are what real gyros should come on, talking to you Pita Pit. 

Pita Pit - 16th between Chestnut and Sansom St

The Pita Pit, not quite the pits

I love gyros and falafel so the idea of an assembly line pita place had peaked my curiosity but it was never quite enough to get me to try this place out.  Besides there are great options much closer by like Christo's falafel truck, Mamas Vegetarian, NY Gyro cart to name a few(reviews coming soon!).
So when I saw an email from Groupon advertising a $5 for $10 deal for the Pita Pit the motivation to try out this place appeared in the form of a discounted lunch.

When you walk in and get in line you're greeted by a large menu, with seriously, a lot of stuff on it.  Making a decision looking at this thing was not easy so we humbly deferred to the favorites section.

The counter is what seems to be ubiquitous among these made to order places, trays full of ingredients behind a plexiglass shield.  When you order they'll ask if you want the usual and since I'm a give me what it comes with kind of guy I opted for the usual.

1) Greek God - $7.99
They must be referring to the God of Sauces cause this thing came loaded in it. Grilled chicken, gyro lamb, feta cheese, onions and peppers all covered in tzatziki and "secret sauce".  The ingredients in themselves were pretty good, not the best gyro meat I've ever had but not the worst, everything else seemed fresh and the sauces were flavorful.  Unfortunately as I got further into the sandwich the sauces, in particular this "secret sauce", really started to overpower with a sour, bitterness.  Also, I don't know if this is because it was wheat, but the pitas were on the flimsy side.  I expected a soft, cushiony pita from a place called the Pita Pit but they felt more like wraps.  I think maybe a heftier pita or less sauce would've made this sandwich much more enjoyable [4/10]

2) California Club - $7.50
Turkey, bacon, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, honey mustard and guacamole.  This was a lot like the other sandwich in that the ingredients were good but the sauces really took over.  But unlike the sour, bitterness of the Greek God this had a heavy dose of sweetness from the honey mustard.  The honey mustard along with the guacamole was actually a good combination in my opinion but again it felt like I was eating a sweet guac sandwich by the end. [5/10]

Overall LTE score [5/10] I don't think I'm a fan of this place.  Even with the Groupon I can't say this was a lunch that I would want to repeat.  If I had paid full price could this have been a 4?  Next time I will ask for them to go light on the sauce so that problem is fixable but the flimsiness of pita bread can't be fixed so easily.

http://www.phillypitapit.com/