"Dart across the street, watching the traffic carefully, to Mamoun’s Falafel, a local fixture for great, cheap Middle Eastern food. Arriving from New Haven, its parent establishment on MacDougal Street first popularized falafel in a pita back in 1971. This branch is far more comfortable, with a seating area out front that provides a view of the street until 5 a.m. every morning. What to order? The falafel sandwich ($4.25), of course, topped with tahini and the gritty red hot sauce." - Robert Sietsema