I was so disappointed to be disappointed by
Cafe Jaffa, on Gloucester Street near the Pru. On the veggie friendly front, Cafe Jaffa passes muster, but on the actual tastiness front, not as much. Middle Eastern food is so naturally vegetarian friendly, and I was anticipating some delicious plateful of chickpea products, pickled things and fresh vegetables. I sort of got that, piecemail, but nothing about it was amazing.
I split the potato
bourekas with my husband for an appetizer, and they weren't bad. I liked the texture and the sesame seeds on top of the little dough packets. But the flavor overall was bland. Then for dinner I ordered a falafel and hummus plate, which came with a salad and pita. I think I was expecting a plate with all that on it together, some kind of varied entree with nice garnishes. My salad came first though, and it was pretty good--a Greek salad with firm pickle slices and feta. Then my entree came, and it was just hummus and four falafel balls on a small appetizer plate, with a shared side of pita bread. So then I wished I had saved some salad and feta to mix with the hummus and put on a pita. The hummus was just OK, but not that flavorful, and same with the falafel, which was too oily and without a distinct flavor other than oil. The hummus was the biggest disappointment. I really think that homemade hummus, when it's the foundation of a vegetarian meal, should have great flavor and consistency (like
Farm Grill Rotisserie's, for example). Cafe Jaffa's hummus had too much of one flavor--maybe cumin or red pepper--that overwhelmed it.
I left feeling full, but Cafe Jaffa fell short of what I had been craving.
But it can be! I have twice recently cooked with bulgur -- first to make these bulgur veggie burgers from Gourmet. Never having made veggie burgers before, I followed the recipe exactly. The mix, which is vegan and middle-eastern-y, was really delicious, but it didn't bind very easily into patties, so next time I'd either chill the "dough" for a while before forming burgers or add something like breadcrumbs (I did cover the outsides with panko so they wouldn't be so sticky/hard to handle). Quite tasty served open-faced on toast, or just by itself as I ate the leftovers. John suggested using them in wraps which I think would be a good solution to the crumbly-texture problem, and would be almost like falafel. 
Since I have lots of bulgur now, I decided to make tabouli this weekend. I winged this one, soaking the bulgur in boiling water until tender and then mixing with garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, green onions, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, lots of fresh parsley and mint, and feta. Mmmmm! This was sooo much better than packaged tabouli (duh). And super refreshing and healthy-feeling on a hot day. Alas, tragically, after we'd eaten only a little, John dropped the container and spilled most of it all over the kitchen floor. I almost cried but managed to keep it together. It now lives only in my memory.
