We’re doing something a little bit differently for today’s Loving the BITE.  Thursday’s are usually the day that our resident sports nutritionist, Kelli, provides you with another one of her fantastically healthy recipes along with the details on why it is good for you.  But today I’m going to post a review about the fantastic falafel wrap I had over at Big Daddy’s here in Austin.

Our family first discovered Big Daddy’s a couple of months ago and immediately became huge fans of their amazing food and great service.  You wouldn’t think that a vegetarian eater like me would dig a burger and bar type joint…..but Big Daddy’s is different.  Every burger on the menu can be made using their homemade veggie burger, and I can tell you that it is the best that I’ve ever tasted.  On top of that, they have falafel on the menu….and with me being the biggest falafel nut out there, you just know that I was super impressed.  I am Fuelled by Falafel, remember?

I loved Big Daddy’s so much that I contacted the owner to see if they’d be interested in being a sponsor over here at Loving the Bike.  They liked what we were doing and I loved their food….and the relationship was sealed.  But as always, you know that any review or recommendation we give over here on this site is completely genuine and 100% pure….so even though they are a sponsor, we love Big Daddy’s for who they are and not because of the sponsorship.

Okay, time to get into the review of the Falafel Wrap.  You know, I’ve always thought it would be cool to be a food critic….and now I’m actually getting my chance.  As I mentioned, I was very impressed that Big Daddy’s had falafel on the menu and my first question for Executive Chef, Justin Trapani, was to find out what inspired that decision.  It turns out that when Justin was younger he spent six months living in Greece.  Living in Athens and travelling the country led to a love affair with the Mediterranean flavors of the country and he knew he had to incorporate them into the menu.

in all my menu designs i try to include some signature mediterranean/greek/turkish elements. you’ll find these in our fry-spice, gyro-burger, kebabs, pita appetizer, chickpea caesar salad, and of course the falafel was a logical choice, since, though i take pride in our veggie burger (which also has a mediterranean flavor profile), a burger place can never have too few vegetarian options.

In all my menu designs I try to include some signature mediterranean/greek/turkish elements.  You’ll find these in our fry-spice, gyro-burger, kebabs, pita appetizer, chickpea caesar salad, and of course the falafel was a logical choice.

The recipe is a pretty standard one, obviously comprised mostly of garbanzo beans, and including fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini. One slant may be that we use confited garlic (cooked slowly into a rich, succulent texture) instead of raw, which adds a particular smoky-sweetness that very few other preparations can achieve.