I Dream of Falafel

"I am invariably late for appointments." - Marilyn Monroe

The Loop Lunch Club's second tour held its final meeting this past Wednesday at I Dream of Falafel at 117 W Monroe. I was a few minutes late, but seeing as Marilyn was invariably late I can rest assured knowing my fellow LLCers aren't the only people to have waited on Monroe.

The LLC was out of their chairs and moving towards the counter before I had exited the revolving doors. "Why the rush?" I asked myself. "Are we trying to catch a matinee screening of 'Love, Actually' today?" It turned out that falafel connoisseur Rob Anderson, who teamed with fellow LLC Godfather Dan "Spoiler Alert" Spira in selecting this week's location, possesses an ability to predict lines usually reserved for sports bookies and obnoxious moviegoers.

All the way to the door the entire time we were there.

We beat the traffic, but as a result I was significantly unprepared to order. At the front of the line I received some last minute guidance from Anderson, who praised the chicken as "their best plate." Still, I found myself being asked what I'd like while still struggling to pocket my headphones and find a place to stow away my new sunglasses (these would later be tried on by all LLC members with mass approval. "Everyone looks great in these," said one LLC member). When I finally recovered the wherewithal to look at the menu I caught sight of the "All In Platter," and, knowing this to be the ultimate LLC outing of the season I had no choice but to put all my chips, fries, cole slaw, and various other side dishes on the line. Both Spira and I went all in, but he took it to the next level when we reached the vegetable selection. With a regal upward facing palm he slowly motioned over his kingdom of cucumber, lettuce, tomato, cabbage, and multiple mystery vegetables and told the girl "I'll have, uh...everything."

I really put a lot of effort into the photography this week

The staff, while friendly, fell well short of the customer service standard set by The Proprietor of the home of The LLC's last falafel frenzy, Taza. What I Dream of Falafel lacked in overly generous, somewhat insane looking bearded patriarchs they made up for in providing museum like levels of hygiene. Several times during the meal I took note of the the extremely sanitary surroundings and had to remind myself I wasn't at the planetarium or Field Museum cafeteria.

Another example of excellent camera work

No time was wasted as the group immediately went to work at the table. "You did a much better job of filling that than I did," Spira said, admiring Anderson's propensity (or is it proclivity?) for pita packing. Pita problems left much room for improvement at I Dream of Falafel. A warmer, thicker, more flavorful pita could have made a good lunch into a great one. It's this type of missed opportunity that makes a difference come tournament time.

Going all in was the right decision. My platter was an endless heap of delicious meats and fresh vegetables. Unlike the single note flavor experience I stomached at La Cocina I found that each bite of my lunch was unique based on the type of meat I happened to be shoveling down my falafel hole. "It's good," said Spira of his falafel, "but it's not blowing my mind." Mind blowing falafel seems like a lot to ask for. I don't think my mind has been sufficiently blown since the first time I saw The Matrix.

The All In Platter, also pictured: New Shades (upper left)

Looking down at his All In Platter Spira wondered aloud if, out of context, anyone would be able to identify what it was actually comprised of. Dan Ofman explained, "When you go all in, you don't always know what you're getting." I would later return this nugget of wisdom in the form a sarcastic barb, prompting Ofman to reconsider his stance. "That doesn't make any sense," he reasoned, "you know exactly what you're getting. It says so on the menu."

LLC Tournament Update...

Anderson, seen here pondering the merits of an LLC Tournament
ranking system

With another 16 restaurants under our belts (and possibly expanding said belts) it is time to plan the second Loop Lunch Club Tournament. Scheduling is expected to be a series of Hartemayer-esque crises, so keep checking for updates. A tentative bracket selection ceremony is penciled in for Wednesday, May 23rd. Brackets and information on how to order LLC merchandise will be disseminated as they arise.

I Dream of Falafel Notes:

• Absence of Steve Lake due to crisis and Danny Rubenstein due to absence of Steve Lake.
• Rob "Sign My Emails With Initials" Anderson had monogrammed cuffs (above)
• Following the lead of Dan Spira The LLC gathered outside after the meal and one by one raised a celebratory fist of camaraderie and accomplishment, though it took some peer pressure to get RBA involved (below)