Chicken Shawerma Sandwich @ Dunes Mediterranean Grill
Mediterranean food is hard to peg down. Sometimes you get gyros and pilaf, and other times you might run across kebobs and hummus. It’s not the fault of the Mediterranean moniker, but probably rather of us Americans who like to lump things all into one category to make it easier for us to understand. The Mediterranean is a huge area and encompasses 20 different countries and cuisines. I won’t go into a history lesson about the region but it’s definitely understandable to walk into two different ‘Mediterranean’ food restaurants and get two completely different cuisines. Dunes in Irving has a robust selection of foods to choose from and will give you plenty of options in your quest for Mediterranean food. What I’m hooked on right now is the Chicken Shawerma sandwich and oh is it delicious.
The sandwich is rather a wrap, and arrives tucked inside a foil shell and accompanied by french fries. If you’re a savvy individual, you might be able to talk the counter women/man into substituting their garlic lemon potatoes for the fries. If not, make sure to order them anyway because they are quite delightful. At first glance they might look like nothing but greasy potatoes, but once you get past the imminent heart attack, you’ll be pleased with the lemony-garlic taste. Make sure you eat them fast though, because they will cool down in a hurry. The wrap itself can be described as a warm toasted flatbread burrito with spiced chicken, pickles, and a mysterious cream sauce that might be sour cream based, but most likely from some form of yogurt, although it doesn’t taste that way. All you really need to know is that it makes the sandwich and you probably should have ordered extra; and that’s all that really matters.
Some things to note about Dunes because it's quite the experience. The whole ordering procedure will throw off the uninitiated for sure, because it is never the same way twice. Sometimes you pay first, other times you wait until you are finished. You might get noticed right away and welcomed inside, or you could stand and wait around, unsure of what to do and where to order. My one word of advice is to be confident and sure of yourself. Like a dog on alert who can sense your fear just by your posture, the employees at Dunes will be quite aware that it's your first time there. It's not like they'll take advantage of you or anything, because they are quite nice once engaged. It's just getting to that point that might be a bit awkward.
Price: $7.50 (w/tax and the potato upgrade)
Dunes Mediterranean Grill
3401 W Airport Fwy # 110 | Irving, TX 75062
(214) 441-1342
Brian, do you think the mysterious sauce could have been tzatziki, or was there no cucumber taste?
It’s definitely not tzatziki. There’s no cucumber taste. I actually asked the owner about it and he said it’s a secret garlic sauce with lot’s of ingredients. You’ll have to swing by for yourself and see what your take on it is. All I know is that I like it!
I have had 2 in 2 days. Man.
Is the sauce really garlicky? Ali Baba serves a garlic sauce with their Golden Chicken that is absolutely fabulous. Of course, it’s so strong it permeates your entire body.
Not at all. The sauce is very tasty, but none of the flavors over power and the whole thing blends together nicely.
Could the sauce be this? This is a typical Shawarma Sauce recipe.
Shawarma Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1 cup store-bought tahini
3 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
Salt
Add garlic to the bowl of a food processor and process until chopped. Add tahini and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add cold water until frothy. Add lemon juice and mix until creamy. Season with salt, to taste.
They have a similar sauce at Phoenicia Deli in Houston. They also have a garlic sauce which is thicker (posted below). Phoenicia Deli is well worth the trip if you are down there!
Arabic Garlic Sauce aka Thoom
1 whole garlic bulb
half a cup of oil
Put garlic in blender and slowly add the oil. Blend until you have a consistency somewhat like mayonaise. Add a little lemon juice: approx. 1tbs. while still blending.
Thanks Shane, we’ll have to test that sauce out next time we are in the little dish lab.
that looks pretty good. im gonna be spending time researching Shawarma for a week now. THANKS!! lol
-Deacon
this looks most tasty!
hooray for flatbread
Man, every time I see this post, it makes me want some Shawarma!
[...] I don’t eat Mediterranean food very often, and when I do I tend to order the same thing. (Chicken Shawerma, anyone?) So this opportunity was a great one to try a broader range of dishes. One of the [...]