Reader: The falafel truth about Pickled Lemon

How close is too close? How many falafel joints can a town, even a college town, support? The news that the family behind Udi's had opened Pickled Lemon, a fast-casual Mediterranean concept, on the Hill in Boulder brought this from Rebecca: This concept sounds very familiar to Garbanzo's. Isn't there...

By Patricia Calhoun

June 30, 2011

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How close is too close? How many falafel joints can a town, even a college town, support? The news that the family behind Udi's had opened Pickled Lemon, a fast-casual Mediterranean concept, on the Hill in Boulder brought this from Rebecca:

This concept sounds very familiar to Garbanzo's. Isn't there one in Boulder right down the street from them?

But 29th Street, where the homegrown Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill chain has an outlet, is a long way from downtown Boulder for someone looking for a fast Meds fix. And even if the two were side by side, LeeAnn offers this falafel truth:

Falafel is essentially another ultimate convenience food kind of like the hamburger or Mission-style burrito. In some countries you'll find falafel stands on every corner. Think Starbucks, McDonalds or Chipotle. So I guess the question is if 12 restaurants with this menu are enough? Or which of the restaurants might make falafel an everyday Colorado food? After all, how many hamburger restaurants with identical menus can this city support? The answer is lots of hamburger restaurants. Seems like we can't get enough. I hope an accessible falafel restaurant shows up very soon in my 'hood. Pickled Lemon come to Denver!!

Does Denver need a Pickled Lemon? Where should it go?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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