BUILD YOUR PLATE

• CHOOSE A BASE – Rice bowl Pita (side of rice or fries) Salad
• CHOOSE A PROTEIN – Beef/Lamb Chicken Pork Falafel
• PICK YOUR TOPPINGS – Romaine lettuce, spinach, banana peppers, jalapeño, pickles, olives, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, mozzarella, feta.
• ADD SAUCE Balsamic Hummus Ranch Taziki Teriyaki

GELATO

• Blue Angel
• Chocolate Chip
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Coconut
• Kiwi Banana
• M&M
• Mango
• Mint Chip
• Nutella
• Oreo Cookie
• Pineapple
• Reeses
• Snickers
• Strawberry

We both had the same reaction when we took a few bites. There was so much meat. Because of that, the toppings were falling out (not recommended for a first date, unless you want them to watch as you eat graphically). Toppings or not, though, it was fresh and savory. Yany mentioned it wasn’t too salty, which can sometimes happen at fast food-type establishments.

Jaksic went a little HAM on the feta, and it was amazing. The more feta… the betta.

Fries came on the side, and they were wide and thin, almost like steak fries. They were salted to perfection, and it was hard to keep my eye on the prize as I kept eating the side more than the main dish.

Two lemonades were brought over. One was Traditional and one was Strawberry. Yany’s favorite was the strawberry.

I took a sip and asked, “Does it taste like a shot to you?”

“Is that why I like it?”

I like her style.

Next was the vegetarian option – the Falafel. I acted like I knew what it was, and apparently so did Yany, because when I started to write this I also had to Google it.

“Yeah I didn’t know either,” she admitted.

The dish, which was served on rice (Spanish rice?), is a deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas. I took a fork full of rice and grabbed a piece of falafel. It had a little spice to it, and I dug in for more rice. Soon I realized I was still eating rice and was zoning out.

“It’s kind of dry on its own,” said Yany.

I was back from my rice coma and took an individual bite of the falafel. It was kind of dry, but good. It’s better with rice, in my opinion.

All of the food was rich and was very filling. By the time we got to the chicken gyro, we were groaning about eating more (I know, poor us).

Mind you, we had taken photos of each dish, tried the others, and then we got to the chicken, which had a lot of red peppers on it. It was pretty soggy at this point, so we just ditched the pita and used utensils.

Also, I’m not a huge red pepper fan, so I just went in for the chicken. It was grilled to perfection, and I wish I had more room in my belly for it.

We then waddled over to the gelato area where the charming music was still in full force. Because of our state, and so we could be super selfish, we sampled all of the gelato.

Some of our favorites were Vanilla Bean, Nutella, and Tiramisu. The fruit flavors are made with real fruit, and you can order a fancy Gelato Fruit Cup (picture), which they’re known for. Get a little naughty with it with a house-made waffle or cone.

For the finale, our minds were blown when he made us an Affogato. This beautiful dessert is an Italian coffee-based treat. It’s typically served with a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream and “drowned” with a shot of hot espresso.

We chose Chocolate Chip for our gelato, and it legit gave me goosebumps and was a nice warm-up on a cold Friday.

BOTTOM LINE:

Boki is a great addition to downtown and the Jones 421 building. I would go back just for the gelato or to try their other European desserts (see side bar). The open concept is neat as well. Definitely worth a stop or five.