Falafel and sake

There's a piece in the City section about the "Little Tokyo" on and around Stuyvesant Street in the East Village. The article explores various cultural issues, and is an interesting enough read, but mainly it made me miss Sunrise Mart, Sobaya, Decibel... Conveniently located about a block southeast of Little Tokyo is an even littler "Little Israel" (follow the link and scroll down), home of Holyland Market, Hummus Place, and, most importantly, Chickpea. Why is Chickpea "important"? Because if you're going to sake bar Decibel, you'd better have a substantial meal--say, falafel--beforehand. Soba noodles, though in theory a more appropriate pre-sake-bar dinner, just won't do the trick. Thus the multicultural brilliance of NYC.