One of my most favorite areas in Queens is Forest Hills. Not only does it have decent shopping, it is one of the most diverse and busy neighborhoods I’ve been to. It is also because of this that great food is everywhere.

When I’m not interning, I work at a lovely Starbucks Coffee Company in suburban Queens. I hate to admit it at times, but working there does make me feel like a bad college stereotype - especially if I add that I’m an aspiring writer. Anyhow, I had a shift there today and got off with an empty stomach - and it wasn’t just any empty stomach, it was the bottomless empty stomach.

My bottomless empty stomach occurs usually on "off-center" days, when I wake up and forget what day it is and act just a little odd the entire day without a clue as to why it is. Today, I had to fix too many mistakes and had one too many soy cafe ole’s (in Starbucks terms it is a coffee misto). It was bad. I needed what Harold and Kumar would say is "the perfect food" and all I could think of was falafel.

In Queens, with the abundance of Middle Eastern residents, falafel (and kebab) can be found anywhere - even in street carts. However after trying a number, even those in Manhattan, I’ve found that the most satisfying falafel is in Forrest Hills at Pahal Zan (10612 Continental Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375). It’s a quaint spot right underneath the Forrest Hills LIRR station which also happens to be kosher. I ordered the falafel pita with all the fixings, including the hot sauce, as shown here after a few bites:

Their falafel had great texture, it is not overly mashed or fried, which couples well with the other fillings. Although I enjoy my pita a little more toasted, the bread was still warmed thoroughly so it could handle a stuffing of hummus, tabbouleh, tahini, Israeli and Mediterranean salad, pickles, and of course, hot sauce. Once I took a bite, I realized that I was right - it was the perfect food.

In short:
1. The creaminess of the hummus is brought out by the warmth of the pita.
2. That warmth is then offset by the coolness of the salads (a combination of cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, lemon juice, yogurt, etc.)
3. All of this adds to the depth in texture of the falafel, which you will realize when you cleanse your palate with the tartness of the pickles on the first bite.
4. It costs around 5 bucks.

True to it’s name, it did resemble a country home, with sanded pale wooden tables and chairs and a humble dim rose lighting. I ordered what they called a raspberry macaroon. Usually when I think of a macaroon, I picture a piped out dense bite of toasted coconut - and if flavored, a small spoonful of jelly or a cherry on top. This is how theirs looked

It had a shortbread bottom, topped with raspberry preserves, and then had a piping of coconut about it (think coconut linzer tart). However, in spite of the name, it was a well-balanced cookie in terms of flavor - if not a tad bit too sweet because of the preserves. The linzer was crumbly and light, the coconut was airy and not dense, which went well with the richness of the preserves. After the cookie, I knew I would be stopping by again, but for a better experience, on a day that isn’t as humid and maybe arrive a tad earlier.