If you Google the term “hot sauce,” you will get roughly 680,000 responses. But if you Google “Egyptian hot sauce,” the number drops to about 35.
The reason? There really isn’t any such thing as Egyptian hot sauce — but Aladin Habib, the man behind the Mr. Falafel restaurant on Seventh Avenue is trying to change that.
Habib, who opened Mr. Falafel in 1982, only this year started bottling his homemade pepper sauce, bowing finally to relentless requests from customers.
Habib’s elixir is not a Middle Eastern version of Dave’s Insanity nor does it come in a bottle shaped like a mushroom cloud (as some do). The secret to Mr. Falafel’s sauce is a mild burn that’s perfect on grilled chicken or a schwarma, and doesn’t tear a hole through your pita (or your palatine glands).
“We’re going for taste, not explosion,” he said.
Habib’s most-loyal fan is Ed Sheehan, who lives near the restaurant and has been downing the sauce since 1982, when he was 7.
Sheehan’s a PR guy, so he encouraged Habib to sell the unique sauce for $4.49 a bottle.
“It’s a fresh, locally made, delicious product,” he said. “And Habib is a great Brooklyn guy.”
Mr. Falafel [226 Seventh Ave. between Third and Fourth streets in Park Slope, (718) 768-4961] or by ordering at www.mrfalafels.com.
