Rockin' the Casbah

I've already done an official Bluff City Vegan Eats post about Casablanca, a Moroccan/Middle Eastern restaurant. But that post was from 2011 when Casablanca only had one location on Poplar in East Memphis. Now there is a second location in Cordova on Germantown Parkway, and it recently changed its name to Casbah to distinguish itself from its sister restaurant. Same menu, same owners, different name. (Yes, I know The Clash are stuck in your head now. You're welcome.).

For those who don't live here, Cordova is way out in the 'burbs, so I don't get out there often. To a Midtowner like me, Cordova seems to be all strip malls and chain restaurants, and about the only thing that drags me out that way are the handful of friends I have who live there. One of those is my friend Cindy. We haven't seen one another in a bit, and Cindy eats meat (and she can be a bit of a picky eater). But the one thing we both love is Middle Eastern fare.

So we met for dinner at Casbah last night. It was my first time checking out the Cordova location. As most things in Cordova are, it's located in a strip mall. But inside, you're transported to another land. The decor is much fancier here than in the older East Memphis location.

As for the food, it's all the same! Cindy ordered their locally famous ginger-sage tea. It's supposed to be the bee's knees. But I'm just not a tea girl, so I opted for Turkish coffee. Few things in the world can top coffee with cardamom. Or anything with cardamom, really.

I typically order the falafel sandwich (called the Big Mac of the East) at the other place, so I decided to try something different — the Vegetarian Platter.

Now, this typically comes with spanakopita, but that contains cheese. So I asked to leave that off and sub with extra falafel. On the plate are lots of falafel, stuffed grape leaves with carrots and squash, and hummus. A basket of pita was served on the side.

They have AMAZING falafel! I won't say it's the best in town. That honor would go to Al-Rayan. But it's close. I'd put it in second place. Definitely the best falafel that side of East Parkway. My only complaint was there simply wasn't enough hummus. I like to dip my falafel and my pita in hummus, and there were only about two tablespoons here. Luckily, Cindy shared her Baba Ganoush. Casbah definitely wins the award for best baba ganoush in Memphis. Hands down.

Here's an old pic of Baba Ganoush from a visit to their other location. I forgot to take one last night.

Note to self: Next time I order the Vegetarian Platter, order a side of this!

I'm adding the address for Casbah to the Casablanca entry in my Memphis Vegan Dining Guide, but in case you wanna know now, it's 1890 N. Germantown Pkwy.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Pita Cafe

Over the last six years of my veganism, I'd like to think I've become somewhat of a falafel expert. It sort of comes with the territory. Vegans know hummus, and vegans know falafel. It's just what we do. And having sampled falafel at a gajillion Memphis eateries, I've concluded that the best damn falafel in Memphis comes from Pita Cafe on Park Avenue. Their Falafel and Hummus Wrap is Middle Eastern magic:

Now I know this half-eaten photo of my wrap from tonight isn't the best representation, but I was hungry. I snapped a quick inside shot and quickly devoured the rest. Their falafel is always made to order, so you have to wait a bit. But the wait is so worth it. Besides falafel and a generous amount of hummus, my wrap contained lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, cucumbers, hot pepper relish, and hot sauce. Yum!

Look how big this wrap is! I wish you could see the whole thing in this photo. It's at least a foot long, and I ate every bite.

I met Stephanie (Poopie Bitch), her husband Richard, and their new baby at Pita Wraps tonight to exchange Solstice gifts. They come here so much that the staff knows them by name!

Steph gave me giant bag filled with homemade vegan candy, but I couldn't get a great shot at the table. Come back tomorrow to see Steph's vegan chocolates and ridiculously cute pictures of my pets opening their Solstice gifts.

Pita Cafe is located at 3950 Park Avenue. Call 901-452-1055.