| Culinary delights from various Middle Eastern countries |
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 2/7/2005
Rating: 9
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Terry and I were looking for a tasty lunch but didnt know where to go. Jose (co-worker who is just itching to become an agent..haha) suggested a local favorite, Dishdash. Located in the restaurant saturated Murphy street in Sunnyvale. This food district resembles Castro street in Mountain View.
We went during the lunch rush and sure enough, it was PACKED. Definitely a good sign and even better was the short table wait we endured. Dishdash specializes in Middle Eastern food at fairly reasonable prices. I ordered the Kufta Kebab and a water. While waiting for my food, they brought out the pita bread and chili paste. Pita bread was soft and plentiful yet the chili paste gave searing sensation to my mouth....not that hot but you get the point. Good stuff..
Now for the Kufta Kebab...
Wrap or flat bread - known as Tanour bread, tasted like a thick tortilla with the flat parts being crunchy. Very pleasant to eat.
Veggies - tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, parsley, and yogurt garlic sauce. Just the right combination of fresh veggies to react with the seasoned meat. No complaints here, I can only praise this flavorful mix.
Meat - ground beef and lamb. Lamb flavor wasnt too gamey and beef had just the right amount of seasonings. The texture of the kebab was much different than Ive had at the other mediterranean places, it was more like hamburger meat, a bit crumbly. Awesome...
Fries - I gotta give them props for their fries. No grease on the fries with a tiny bit of seasoning. Im normally never a fan of baked or air cooked fries but the fries were commendable for their light taste.
With food this enjoyable, Dishdash earns a spot for one of my favorite places in Sunnyvale. Im not sure how the dinner scene is but they did have an interesting array of Hookahs at the bar. Alright..bad joke..tough crowd...what I meant to say is they had a nice selection of water pipes at the bar. I have no idea if they are used for smoking but cant hurt to ask.
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Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 739
Reviewed: 2/7/2005
Rating: 9
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When I first saw Dishdash I was a little concerned that it might be too foo-foo, being that its on the yuppyish Murphy Ave. These thoughts quickly disappeared when I met the unpretentious wait-staff and saw the nice sized menu of middle eastern delights.
I decided to go with the Veggie wrap with Feta. While waiting for the food to arrive, a waiter brought by a basket of pita bread and some hot sauce. And beware, it is quite spicy - delicious. Reminded me of the sauce you get in your Falafel sandwich at Falafel Drive-In.
The wait for a table was short. I heard this is a recent occurence since they expanded the restaurant recently. The wait for our food was equally short. My wrap arrived quickly. It was VERY messy due to all the veggies, especially eggplant inside. It was so delicious, though, I certainly didn't mind eating it fast. The salad that accompanied my dish was VERY tasty, especially thrown into the pita bread with the spicy sauce. I vacuumed my plate it was so delicious.
Prices were a bit high, but for the location I guess thats expected. Also, while the spicy sauce was good, it didn't really go with the pita as well as, say, Hummus would have. Though I imagine it'd be more expensive, and I'd probably fill up on the hummus and bread. haha.
Overall, though, Dishdash is a fantastic middle eastern lunch destination, especially if you are looking for a quite sharp-looking, fancy, yet completely down-to-earth restaurant. Way to go.
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RETURN VISIT for Terry! 3/21/2005 - 7.5 Rating: Went to dishdash for lunch again today and was less impressed with the place. This time ordered the Veggie Deluxe Combination. The quality of food was just maybe a bit above average, but service was really slow. For the high prices, I can find much better food, served faster. |
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Reviewer: Dan
Total Reviews: 84
Reviewed: 10/29/2007
Rating: 8.5
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I had tried to get into Dish Dish several times over the last few years but always went at peak lunch hours when there was always a long wait. I'm not much for lines, so I usually went elsewhere. A few weeks back I went early on a Monday and finally got in. I was given a friendly greeting and seated immediately. The interior is pleasant and modern. (The staff that day was looking very metrosexual so it felt like a place in the city).
I was surprised to find no falafel plate on the menu, though falafel was featured as part of other dishes. Service was a little on the slow side. It took quite a while for anyone to take my order. When my server finally arrived, I ordered the lamb schwarma wrap. Ten minutes later I received my food and dug in. This wrap was on the small side but was stuffed full of delicious, tender lamb with yogurt sauce and a bit of salad. The outer wrap was lavash bread and the whole thing was grilled, then sliced in half and served with a small salad (or fries). This was probably the best schwarma wrap I've ever had. A 9.5 by itself, ignoring price. (Too many fatty pieces to make it a 10). But it was blissfully good. The salad was a bit heavy on the dressing, but was fine otherwise. Value was not as good. I paid $11 incl. tip when all was said and done. I can get a wrap at Mediterranean Wraps in Palo Alto for $6 plus tax. So for this visit I'll drop my rating to 8.5.
On my next visit I ordered the Falafel Wrap with fries plus a cup of lentil soup to start. Water came quickly and my soup arrived a few minutes afterwards. This soup was fantastic! Think homemade lentil soup with a Mediterranean twist. Great stuff. My wrap and fries arrived. The wrap – similar in size to my previous schwarma wrap. Bread was fresh and slightly crispy from grilling. Mmmm. Falafel balls inside were a bit on the dry and flaky side, but the wrap itself had a good quantity of sauce and veggies, which offset the dryness. The wrap flavor was a bit lacking until the waitress offered me some "spicy sauce." Hell yes I’d like some! I sprinkled this on top and visions of Falafel's Drive In danced in my head. This sauce MADE the sandwich. Overall this was not quite as tasty as Falafel's Drive In but started to come close. Fries – hot and fresh. Good fries but not the best I've ever had. Total cost incl. tip was $12.77. Kinda pricey at first glance but not bad for sit down service that included a soup appetizer. Rating is tough – probably a 9
On my third visit I arrived at noon sharp and was surprised to be seated right away, next to the kitchen. I was sure I'd have to wait. I ordered the Beriani Dajaj. While I waited I watched guys in the kitchen, all speaking animated Spanish, and all working hard as hell. It was a veritable swarm of chefs, steaming pans, and schwarma wraps lined up for the slaughter. Fun to watch. My dish arrived and consisted of a large shallow bowl, filled with rice on one side and on the other: meat, potatoes and garbanzo beans smothered in a spicy yogurt sauce. The sauce was a bit too rich for me, but overall this dish was outstanding. An easy 9. Total cost with tip was $13.85. Reasonable for what I received.
By the time I left (around 12:30) the place was packed and there was a line of about 10 people. So the trick seems to be going no later than noon. Unfortunately Dish Dash takes lunch reservations for two slots only: 11:30 and 1:00. So they give you the real, sit-down restaurant service, décor and food, but without the convenience of reservations at a good time. I was thinking of giving Dish dash a 9 rating, but won't for that reason. I won't be rushing friends and family here for lunch if I can't be sure to get a table.
Pros: Delicious Mediterranean food; attractive setting; interesting crowd
Cons: Big lunchtime crowds with a wait at peak; No reservations during main lunch hour |
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Reviewer: wchane
Total Reviews: 148
Reviewed: 3/23/2007
Rating: 8
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Been here a couple times for lunch but today was my first time for dinner.
Bang for the buck it's a pretty solid lunch destination, not so much at dinner. Food is good, prepared well and my beef shish kabob was tender enough that I did not need to use the knife. (bad manners I know)
Anyways one of my clients chose this restaurant and I was more then happy to oblige. There were 4 of us and we ordered the following:
Mediterranean Maza (4) $15.95
Bamieh - stewed lamb shank - $15.95
Sultan Ibrahim - sea bass & roasted tomatos - $17.95
Mansaf - lamb w/yogurt and rice - $15.95
Mo, the King of Kebabs - a variety of kebabs served over rice and roasted vegtables - $17.95
corkage is $15 a bottle
I arrived late so the group was already seated with water and wine glasses ready. We ended up getting our entrees before the appitizer. Our waiter seemed to be in a huge hurry and had to double check the order twice to confirm we had in fact ordered the mediterranean maza. Noteworthy items on the Maza were the Babaghanouge,Tabouli, and Falafel balls. I also picked at the kalamata olives sprinkled about the plate.
I ordered the Kebabs and ate everything but one of the roasted carrots. Rice tasted like most mid eastern rice pilafs but it seemed like a smaller portion then I'm used to. Mixed with sliced almonds and mixed nuts. The chick kebab is 4 large chunks of breast meat, cooked fully through and I found a bit dry. The beef kebab, although moist and tender (ordered medium) was suprisenly flavorless. Really strange, maybe my tastebuds was malfunctioning but I would get a hint of flavor then it would be overcome with blandness. I kept dipping into the mint sauce. The kufta was the best part of the meal. pounded beef and lamb it was succulent, perfectly cooked and flavorful throughout. Just a bit gamey, but I could deal with that.
Nothing that I would rave or write home about, but pretty well prepared dishes. They earn extra points on the presentation but lose points for the rushed service. Plates were removed well before the entire table was finished and they kept asking if we were done with certain items. This was about 10pm, plenty of room so I did not understand the rush.
We skipped dessert here and walked over to Il Postale for sweets and coffee.
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