Mediterranean Wraps -- 4/5

I was wandering around after the fabulous California Avenue Farmers Market yesterday (well, two days ago at this point) when my tummy started rumbling. Realizing that about six hours had passed since I'd last eaten anything, "anything" being a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats way early in the morning. I looked up and this was the first restaurant I saw. As a fan of Mediterranean (and let's face it, pretty much any) ethnic food, I figured, why not?

1. Food -- 3/5 The first thing I ever order at a new Mediterranean place is the falafel wrap. It's a quintessential dish that should, if it does its job, represent the rest of the menu. The falafel itself was pretty good--moist, crunchy, kind of nutty--and the veggies were fresh and plentiful, but the wrap was a little burned and super messy. At a few points the tahini sauce-dripping was out of control, and I ended up having to blot some of it out with my napkin before I could safely finish eating. (To be fair, a Mediterranean deli recently opened about a block away from my house back in my hometown that has the best falafel wraps ever, so I went into this situation a little biased against possible competitors. This still wasn't as good, though. I'm seriously about the potential for drip damage.)
   Take a look at the rest of their menu (prices not included).
2. Service -- 5/5 These guys are great! I was helped almost the minute I went into the store and they got to making the wrap right away. The nice man behind the counter flirted just enough to be sweet without being creepy, and they have free ice water in a nice pitcher and cups. Very courteous and attentive, speedy service. 
3. Price -- 4/5 My fairly large wrap (not in-edibly enormous, but enough to make up for minimal breakfast and fill me up until a late dinner -- could safely be split with a friend) cost a little over $6. They have side options in the $3-4 dollar range, as well as larger specialty wraps and plates between $8-10. A nice weekend option if you have a bit of cash to spare.
4. Location and Setting -- 5/5 Full marks for having two locations in Palo Alto, one on swanky University Avenue (15 minute walk from campus, 10 minute bike ride) and one on lower-key but still middle class hippie-yuppie-hybrid California Avenue (20-25 minute walk from campus, 15 minute bike ride). I've never been to the one at University, but on California they have a nice outdoor patio set up with chairs (beware when you're wearing shorts or miniskirts, girls, these are the wiry chairs that leave awkward marks on the back of your legs), umbrellas, and a nice view of this quirky street. People watching opportunities galore, especially on Farmers Market day.
5. Good for... Weekend Wind-Down It was a great place to regroup and enjoy some simple but exotically tasty fare after a hectic weekend of back-to-school frat parties and the oddly frenetic energy of the Farmers Market. It seems to appeal to a lot of different types with different purposes--me with my mountain of assigned reading, three middle-aged men in the middle of what looked like a business meeting, a family of four, and a few young couples.

Well this is getting easier as I go. Remember, I'm still super-new to this and open to any thoughts or suggestions you might have on my tentative entrance into the world of restaurant reviews. I probably wrote this one way too late at night (or, I guess, early in the morning) for it to make a whole ton of sense. Hopefully this week will be kind to me and I'll have my head on straight enough by next Sunday to actually write a coherent review.

Thanks for hangin' in there. See you next weekend!