Mill Valley residents have long become fans of the Local Kitchens model – every member of the family gets what they want, without the drawn-out negotiation of getting consensus on one type of cuisine.
Now Local Kitchens has unveiled its latest arrival – Yalla Falafel, a menu made in collaboration with Chef Einat Admony. This authentic Mediterranean menu available now.
Local Kitchens has partnered with the creator of the highly lauded New York City restaurants, Balaboosta and Taim, and James Beard semi-finalist, Chef Einat Admony, to create Yalla Falafel. Known as the ‘Queen of Falafel’, Chef Einat is celebrated for her authentic use of spices, sauces and cooking methods from various Mediterranean cultures.
These elements create surprising and intriguing dishes that you can’t find anywhere else in California. This menu, created in partnership with Local Kitchens, highlights her vibrant personality and favorite flavors, all presented in the signature Local Kitchens format loved by chefs, guests, and communities alike.
About the Menu
The Yalla Falafel menu is a collection of colorful, vibrant and flavorful Mediterranean dishes authentic to Chef Einat’s cooking and the region’s traditions. This collaboration menu offers freshly blended hummus, thick fluffy pitas, Moroccan carrots, shipka peppers, fresh arugula, and delicious sauces such as black garlic aioli, green s’chug, amba aioli – all freshly made in-house. Here are some of the menu highlights:
Green Falafel
Green Falafel, considered Chef Einat’s greatest masterpiece, is rooted in her ancestral traditions. We double grind our soaked chickpeas fresh in-house and combine it with a mountain of fresh herbs and spices to create the perfect bite.
Amba Chicken Rice Plate
Our Amba Chicken, marinated in seven shawarma spices and amba sauce, is a dynamic combination of vibrant, earthy and tangy flavors and textures. This dish is served with green persian rice, Moroccan carrots, sumac spiced red onions, green s’chug, pickled cabbage, a shipka pepper, and topped with fresh arugula.
Black Garlic Cauliflower
Einat was one of the first chef’s in NYC to put cauliflower on a pedestal, and today she prides herself as introducing it to New Yorkers as something to be treasured. We coat the crispy cauliflower in lemon omani and place it on a bed of herby green s’chug. The dish is topped with thinly sliced pickled shipka peppers giving it a light kick and drizzled with a fermented black garlic aioli.
Hummus
Following Chef Einat’s famous hummus recipe, we slow-cook garbanzo beans for over an hour and blend it fresh in house with lemon, tahini, garlic, and cumin until it is creamy and light as air. It is served with more lemon tahini, green s’chug, and two fluffy Angel’s pitas that are toasted to perfection.
About the Chef
Einat was born in Bnei Brak, Israel, where she grew up cooking spicy Persian dishes with her mother, an Iranian immigrant, and enjoying traditional Yemeni breakfasts every Shabbat morning with her father. Her early cultural immersion continued as she was surrounded by Moroccan food and culture with neighbors and friends. As a young adult, she served in the Israel Defense Forces as a driver and cook, and then honed her skills at a culinary school in Israel before moving to New York City.
In 2005, she and her husband started their first Falafel stand, Taim, in the West Village. After its great success, Einat opened Balaboosta in 2010, an ode to fine Israeli dining. These accomplishments led to her being recognized as a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef in both 2020 and 2022. In addition to the great success of her flagship restaurant, Balaboosta, Taim has expanded with 12 locations throughout New York.
Local Kitchens is opened its wallet in a big way for upgraded and new locations across Northern California, according to the North Bay Business Journal. Those upgrades are part of a broader $40 million investment that Local Kitchens recently secured to fuel its expansion plans, in both Northern and Southern California, TechCrunch reported June 25. Leading the series B funding round was General Catalyst, plus other existing investors Human Capital, Pear VC and DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang. On top of the $28 million series A round that included NBA star Steph Curry and his food entrepreneur wife, Ayesha, Local Kitchens has raised $75 million so far.
For families, one of the brilliant elements of the concept is the ability to avoid the debates and delays associated with the preferences of each member of the family. At Local Kitchens in Mill Valley at the moment, the menu spans Boba Guys (artisanal teas and quality Boba), Nopalito Tacqueria, Proposition Chicken, Square Pie Guys, Sushirrito, Sajj Mediterranean, The Melt, Humphrey Slocombe and much more.