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| - I have to fall somewhere in the middle on this place. Elie's gets high marks for being a family-run establishment and for having super-friendly and likeable service, but it falls a little short in the food department.
I can walk to this place from my work, so I decided to do just that one day last week. Alicia B was definitely right when she said that this place is "dinky" - the flooring is old, the tables are dingy, the bathroom is passable, and the "decor" consists of a few potted plants and some framed stock pictures of Greece. I might forgive the extreme lack of atmosphere if I felt that the prices were reasonable, since that would mean that the owners were skimping on style in order to provide a high-quality product.
Unfortunately, the food doesn't quite deliver, especially given the high prices. I really wanted to order one of the vegetarian combo plates, but the cheapest one with falafel (plus hummus) was $7.85! That is really steep, in my opinion. If I had wanted to add baba and tabouli, it would have run me $9.10. Because this felt high, I ended up getting the falafel sandwich for $5.59. It only came with lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini sauce, so I ended up adding green peppers for $.45 (a bargain compared to the $.99 they charge to add tomatoes).
I waited 10-15 minutes for my food, which I understand given that there was a steady flow of eat-in and take-out customers. When the sandwich did arrive (with a smile from the again very friendly owner), I enjoyed it because I was starving, but again, wasn't all too impressed. The pita was very large but very dry, and it definitely could have stood to be more moist. Similarly, I found the falafel overly dry and crumbly. The tahini sauce was decent but not as subtle as some I've had in the past.
For $8 or so, I got a filling falafel sandwich and a large Diet Coke. I definitely prefer the $2.99 falafel sandwich at Al-Hana, although the uber-convenient location of Elie's may mean that I return a few more times. I will definitely update if I go back and try something more on-point.
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