Nomadic Hallava Falafel Truck Spotted in Georgetown

What: Hallava Falafel Truck
Where: Georgetown (though the truck is nomadic)
When: this past Saturday afternoon during Artopia
Cost: $6 sandwich plus $2 San Pellegrino Limonata ($14 for two)
Would I eat it again? In a minute. In fact, another one is not a bad idea, right now.
Official Tasting Notes: I have not stepped up to the window of a falafel truck since I lived in Bath, England, way back in the early nineties, so when I heard there would be one in Georgetown this past weekend, I was on the lookout.

In Bath, falafel trucks were everywhere: greasy little vehicles huddled in twos and threes, each displaying a generous, fragrant, spinning hunk of lamb (sometimes chicken) ready to be sliced into.

But this is Seattle, and the Hallava Falafel truck is shiny yellow and super-clean, and it serves a delicious vegetarian sandwich. One option only. So there's no deliberating about what to get (or not get) on your sandwich. The list of toppings is painted on the side of the truck, though as far as I could tell, one sandwich fits all.

For $6, you'll get a round of toasted, puffy pita soaking up the delicately garlicky tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce), strained pink with shredded beet salad. A dill pickle spear peeks out of the sandwich, fat with three tender balls of browned falafel. The spiced chickpea filling is well-situated with these simple yet surprising accompaniments. From sweet and sour (beets and pickle), garlicky and spiced (tzatziki and falafel), to creamy and crunchy (tzatziki and beets), the flavors and textures played very nicely off one another.

You can walk with one of these delicious contraptions (it'll be handed to you in a paper cone) but be warned, at the messy end, the third falafel ball will be sadly naked of tzatziki, which will be all over your pink-tinged fingertips. You will lick them.

Insider Tip: Napkins, plenty of napkins. And sit down.