Years ago, I remember reading about a contest on the internet to name an East Village hummus restaurant. The winner is: chickpea.
Now with three locations in Manhattan, the name has proved successful.
In between my favorite urban paper store, Paper Presentation and the only baking supply store in the city NY Cake, I needed fuel to keep going. The 6th Avenue location drew me in. I am always happy to feed my culinary cravings with a creative concept under $10. Mission accomplished. I got three mini (always baked. never fried. is their slogan) falafels, a whole wheat pita (freshly baked on premises), basil & pine nuts (one of the few nuts I am not allergic to) hummus and a small diet coke for $6.75. There is even left over hummus in my ‘frig. Next time I’ll try jalapeno and scallions hummus. Fresh off a meeting with a branding guru I am noticing their logo, typeset and colors with a careful eye and am really liking what it says to me.

Hummus: a paste of pureed chickpeas usually mixed with sesame oil or sesame paste and eaten as a dip or sandwich spread. Something I never had growing up, but now it is a staple in my diet. I spread it on toast, dip cucumbers in it and start sandwiches with it. My favorite is the Tribe’s 40 Spices.

Falafel: a spicy mixture of ground vegetables (as chick-peas or fava beans) formed into balls or patties and then fried.