Eater's Digest, 3/19

Just as the best Thai food seems to have migrated from Hollywood to North Hollywood, there also seem to be more choices for Middle Eastern specialties in the Valley these days. I had an itch for falafel, so Saturday we stopped by Top Falafel. This place is about as obscure as it gets, a foreboding cubbyhole tucked into a desolate parking lot in the nether regions of North Hollywood. But they turn out an excellent falafel sandwich, with torpedo-shaped falafels tucked into a jumbo-sized pita and plenty of veggies. Matt had a humongous kebab plate with lentil rice, hummus and yogurt/cucumber salad. It's at 6424 Coldwater Canyon Ave., a bit south of the Thai temple.
Sunday was devoted to cooking, but you guys probably don't care that I made salmon with lentils and spinach and goat cheesecake with blood orange caramel sauce. Anyway.
Today I had the honor of lunching with columnist Joel Stein, who seems to attract lots of supporters and detractors. He's writing a food column for Time and mulling what topics are sufficiently national in interest -- this week, it's going to be ethnic fast food, like Jollibee and Pollo Campero. And he delivered my horse prosciutto, yum!
We pretended to be les Eurotrash and ate at the Little Next Door. I had rabbit pate on a baguette, to be as French as humanly possible, while Joel had les petits sandwiches with salmon and tres adorable little pots of cornichons and cucumber salad. Merci pour le cheval, Joel!