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| - JC opened recently close to where I live. It's always exciting, especially in the culinary desert of far-south Charlotte, to find ethnic (regional?) food other than Mexican or Chinese. So, I gave them a try. Spoke with the owner or co-owner (who graciously provided samples of the grape leaves and hummus: Thank You), and I promised to write a review if I liked the food. Well, I liked what I had enough to write this review.
GRAPE LEAVES: I'm usually disappointed; however, at JC they are flavorfully cooked and moist, with the rice mixture melding nicely with the leaves.
HUMMUS: Certainly better than store bought -- and I've tried a lot of brands. Nice texture. Would benefit from more tahini and oil.
FALAFEL WRAP: Above average, but there is just so much you can do with fried chickpeas. Where JC should focus is on the salad element. Theirs is an Arab recipe. I would suggest taking a cue from the Israeli eateries (perhaps Arab restaurants do this as well), which often offer a wide range of raw and pickled veggies to top the falafel. It's fun to "have it your way." The "Jerusalem salad" included in the wrap was OK (not varied), and should have been more generous. Ditto for the tahini sauce. The wrap does a decent job of containing the ingredients -- vs. the overflow effect one usually experiences with a pita pocket.
BABA GHANOUJ: Too much lemon. Not enough tahini. Have had BG in Charlotte with a texture similar to hummus, and prefer it that way, but JC's is passable.
I'd like to see this place succeed, and I will go back. They are new, at this writing, and deserve a chance to work things out and improve. It will be interesting to see how they respond to reviews and customers' comments. Oh, and they need to get artwork (something!) up on the walls.
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