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They're made with chickpeas instead of favas—nothing unusual about that, but the filing is very smooth, almost cakey, as if it was made from chickpea flour rather than coarsely mashed legumes. They have a fairly intense herbal, almost floral note to them as well, no doubt from the ample amount of parsley therein. Here, as in the Levant (or "sharq"), falafel remains an astonishingly cheap thing to fuel up on. At Alsharq, a sandwich with hummus and Jerusalem salad runs a mere $2.99, as does a six-piece platter with tahini. Don't forget to ask for the skhug, the red chili sauce that never seems to come to the table at most Middle Eastern restaurants unless it's asked for.
The skewers are skillfully grilled; chicken breast is surprisingly tender, the shish kabob nicely charred and juicy like the coarsely ground kefta. (A combo platter with rice is $11.99.)