Sunday, July 29, 2007

Food Snobbery

I'm not really a food snob. I enjoy a lot of bad food--see the bluberry muffin post. I could eat my weight in Olive Garden salad and Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuit. But on some level, I acknowledge--even revel-- in the badness. It's good eating but it's not good food. Deep down, I think that good food is expensive. Quality ingredients are costly. The talents and skills to bring out the best in those ingredients are rare and usually well-compensated. Zagat's top restaurants are $$$$ for a reason. Or so I've long believed.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a restaurant that changed my mind. It's called Pita Inn. I visited the one in Skokie, but there are branches in Glenview and Wheeling too. I had the Vegetarian Falalel Platter. Six of the most tender, perfectly seasoned falafel patties I've ever had, accompanied by 2 fluffy, light homemade pitas and lettuce salad, hot sauce and tahini sauce. Price? $3.95. It's insane. If you're in the Chicago area, you must go. And while you're there don't try to resist the perfectly sweet and crisp bakclawa. At $0.95, why would you want to?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

try the mint lemonade next time. it's an excellent accompaniment to the lunch special.

Nirmala said...

I completely agree with your entry. That's part of the reason why I cook. I've eaten excellent inexpensive food at local hole-the-walls. I think it's really disappointing that restaurants get away with serving the food that they do and at the prices they do.

So I raise a glass to your entry.

Tiffany said...

Mint lemonade...yum. I will. Thanks for the sugestion.

Anonymous said...

I used to work near there and we'd get Pita Inn at least once a week. Yummy memories.