J. and I were counting down the minutes until our anniversary dinner. There was plenty of trepidation but a lot of hope that things would work out for the best. However, we still had lunch to get through and I was starving. Neil and Dave were anxious to see J. and spend time with us and wish us well on our anniversary weekend, so we all decided to have lunch. I didn’t want something overly heavy or that would still be weighing me down later in the day, so I suggested we check out the new Pita Jungle that had just opened in the Arcadia district in East Phoenix.

Everyone seemed fine with that and Neil and Dave met us over my place so we could go over in one car. Pulling into the lot at the corner of 44th Street and Indian School Roads, I was quite surprised to find a parking space as quickly as we did. And with shade! We approached the restaurant which had taken up residence in the old “On The Grill” location and just a few doors down from Pei Wei. We walked in and with the exception of a couple of two-tops, the place was packed with some people milling about waiting for take-out orders.

The host asked if we would have any problems sitting outside and we indicated that would be fine. We got seated at a table near the entrance and the weather was perfect for a luncheon on the patio. Within moments, our server arrived with menus. He asked for our drink order and we had three Iced Teas ($2.00 each) and one Diet Pepsi ($2.00), plus water. He left to get our drinks and we reviewed the menus.

Upon his return, we placed our order. We agreed to start with an order of the Hummus with Grilled Chicken ($6.75) and the Pita Crisp ($2.95) with Cheddar Cheese. One second thought, we also ordered the Falafel Platter ($6.25). J. was intrigued by the Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger ($6.50) while I had the Lentil Fetoosh Salad ($7.95). J. then decided to get a bowl of the Chilled Moroccan Gazpacho Soup ($3.95) as well. Dave opted for the Beef Gyro Sandwich ($5.35) along with a bowl of the Lentil Soup ($3.95). Neil went with the Chicken Combo Platter ($8.50) substituting the mixed beans and rice with the lentils and rice.

Time passed quickly because we were having lot of conversation on a beautiful day in Phoenix while openly mocking our friends back East with their snow and heavy coats as we sat drinking iced tea in our shorts and t-shirts. Ah, I love Phoenix.

In what seemed to be record speed, our Hummus with Grilled Chicken arrived along with pita bread and we all attacked it with little mercy. The large plate of creamy hummus and grilled chicken was quite enticing. I particularly loved the addition of the pine nuts for some crunch. We all dove in, but not before asking our server for four additional pitas ($0.35 each). The chicken was excellent along with the hummus itself. Everything about it was spot on including the garlic level which we all loved. The pita bread was also quite good, but we had to order more because two pitas were hardly enough to sop up the hummus.

Then, much to our surprise and enjoyment, out server brought us a large pitcher of iced tea for the table. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

Next to arrive at the table was the Pita Crisp. This was Pita Jungle’s take on my beloved Cheese Crisp. The pita was soft, hot and had plenty of cheese. We each grabbed a piece and Dave noted that it was more of a cheese crisp than many Mexican restaurant offerings (read: the dreaded Cheese Limp). We devoured it in seconds. It was quite good particularly because the pita was fresh and the cheese had not been skimped on in topping the bread.

There was a short break before our entrees arrived along with our Falafel platter. Neil’s Chicken Combo Platter hit the table first and I liked the look of the strips of chicken meat and the pile of lentils and rice. Neil said the chicken had been marinated and was grilled and noted how moist it was. While enjoying the chicken, he was not impressed by the lentils and rice, finding them rather bland and boring. He did rave, however, about the garlic sauce that accompanied his dish. He gave me a taste with some of the pita and the stuff was instantly addictive.

When Dave’s Beef Gyro arrived, I noticed that it was served in the traditional style with the pita wrapped around slices of gyro meat and then enveloped in foil. Dave raved about it from the first bite. He said the beef had been well seasoned and the pita was hot and fresh. He also loved the tsatziki sauce that was slathered on the bottom of the pita. Dave is rather picky about what kind of condiments he has on his sandwiches, so he had the kitchen hold the tomatoes and onions. Dave was very pleased. I wondered if the sandwich would have worked with the garlic sauce as well. I may have to try that out some day.

Dave’s serving of Lentil Soup was huge. A large bowl contained a gigantic portion of the bean soup and was served with a triangle of pita bread. Dave took a taste and said it was very good, but noted that the consistency was more like hummus than soup. I think that aspect of it disappointed him a bit. He said it was hot and delicious, but clearly was less than thrilled by the thickness. I thought it looked good, but it really needed a sprinkling of parsley or even a light dusting of paprika to break up the solid greenish color it exuded.

J.’s Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger was a large platter containing the burger, a bun, plenty of condiments and a serving of Garlic New Potatoes. J. found the burger to be “really good and substantial, and earthy.” J. did notice the bun, which had been advertised on the menu as “whole wheat,” was a sesame bun. It was fine, J. said, but thought the whole wheat bun would have been much better. J. found the Garlic potatoes to be decent, but lacking in garlic flavor even though we all could see the bits of garlic on the potatoes. Oddly, that was the same complaint I had about the potatoes at their Tempe location.

The Chilled Moroccan Gazpacho looked very fresh and refreshing. J. said it was perfect for a warm Phoenix afternoon and said the veggies in the soup were top notch. However, J. pointed out that Pita Jungle played it safe with the spices (probably for tender palates) and that instead of having a Moroccan edge to it, it came across as just a solid, garden variety gazpacho.

The Lentil Fatoosh Salad I had ordered was massive in size. A large serving bowl was overflowing with Romaine lettuce, lentils, rice, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and toasted pita bits that had all been tossed and dressed with a very light lemon vinaigrette. The salad was exceptionally fresh and the mixture of tastes and textures was outstanding. There was just too much of it and the addition of several fried pita triangles for munching didn’t help me devour more of the salad. I liked the salad a lot, but had wished there was more dressing. The vinaigrette was so light, it only added a hint of taste and I wanted something more stark to give a tang to the dish. Still, I was impressed and pleased.

Although we had ordered it as an appetizer, we got our Falafel Platter at the same time as our entrees. No matter. We were still quite pleased with the croquettes that were served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and tahini sauce. The falafel was excellent. Crunchy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. Perfect. We also noticed that this version of falafel had several spices that were not normally included in falafel. There was definitely parsley and perhaps some basil. In any event, it was excellent and we polished off the falafel almost as quickly as the pita crisp.

We all had leftovers on our plate and turned down suggested desserts. Our bill was presented and the total was $68.02 including tax which we all thought was a great deal and solid value. The service was very good, but we did seem to wait an inordinate amount of time between finishing our meals and getting our check. Minor, but notable.

Still, we were very pleased with how solid everything was. There were some very minor missteps, which spoke well for a restaurant that had been open for less than two weeks.

We loaded up into my car and headed back to the house. We all shared our thoughts and agreed that Pita Jungle was a welcome addition to the Arcadia neighborhood and we would return again soon, especially for the Hummus with Grilled Chicken and the Falafel.

Then, it occurred on me: I had only seven hours until our anniversary dinner.

It was at that moment, I would have killed for a Valium.

Pita Jungle
4340 East Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85018
Dress: Casual
Hours: Sunday through Saturday – 11 AM to 10 PM
Notes: On the northwest corner of 44th Street and Indian School, in the same strip mall as Pei Wei. Patio dining available.
Website: www.pitajungle.com (although the new location info has not been added yet)