Damask Cafe

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  OK, so...in the interest of full disclosure, I've lived in the Middle East and miss Arabic food a lot.  I was excited and wary in equal parts when I saw the sign for this place.  Either a place does Middle Eastern food really well or it sucks - there's no in between for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Damask does it well.
  
  The first thing that impressed me was the atmosphere. Friendly and casual - and the food matched. The dishes are not what I remember from Syria or Jordan, but they have a combination of authenticity and uniqueness that works.  The hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh, etc., were the real deal, and the entrees were mostly a mish-mash of greek and random Mediterranean stuff. My friend and I shared summac chicken (which I never heard of in the Middle East) and lamb kabob, and both were tasty.  The lamb was much more tender than shish kabob type meats usually are.  
  
  One thing I hate about restaurants is when the main dish is great but the side dishes are throwaways. This is not the case here!  The rice, salad and pita were a great "supporting cast," and the portions were big enough that we had leftovers.
  
  I did order carry out once since then (shawarma wrap - not a real shawarma but it was good), and requested the salad dressing on the side, which they forgot to do.
  
  So bottom line, I highly recommend Damask. If you're used to Middle Eastern food you will be pleasantly surprised, and if you're not, it's a perfect introduction!

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  Posted on 03.12.13 Diana M.

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  I'm really somewhere between a 2 and a 3. I was really happy to see a Mediterranean restaurant in Muncie, but was a bit disappointed in the food. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't fabulous. I love Mediterranean food, particularly Turkish, and it didn't compare to what I'm used to.
  
  We ordered an appetizer plate. The hummus and tabouli were fine, but not the best I've had. The baba ganoush was smokey which was good. The pita bread was a bit burnt.
  
  The lamb kebob was nice, the sumac chicken was also pleasant. I liked the spicy  spinach, but the fried potatoes were french fries with a bit of garlic parsley. Really?
  
  The Turkish coffee is served in a cup way too big, and it defeated the purpose of Turkish coffee.
  
  Our server was really nice and attentive.

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  Posted on 03.03.13 Dawn T.

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  Let me get this out there first.  I LOVE Middle Eastern/Mediterranean" food.  Specifically, Turkish food.  I have eaten it all over the world and go out of my way to find a Turkish neighborhood to find that special "hole in the wall" restaurant to fulfill my shawarma needs.   I have been waiting years for a place like this and  was excited when I heard it was opening.  I went with my family last night for the first time and have to say it was a bit underwhelming.  Bummer.
  The place was packed, which is a good sign.  However, most new restaurants that open in Muncie are packed the first month or so.  II will also give some slack for the "so-so" wait staff.  Again, growing pains??
  My wife had a few side dishes.  The eggplant was really good.  A big oily, but tasty nonetheless.  The stuffed grape leaves were excellent.  I ordered the lamb kabob.  It was good, but far from the best I have ever had.  I would most likely order it again.   My son ordered the "kid's shawarma", but was brought the full portion.  I guess the waitress didn't put together that a kid ordering it would constitute a kid's size.  Also fried potatoes are actually french fries.  Both my wife and I were confused by this.
  I do think this place is one of the better places to eat in Muncie.  I truly am glad it opened in the sea of never-ending pizza places in town.  We need more international flavors.  My biggest complaint about Damask Cafe is that they should not try to "American-ize" the great dishes of Turkey.  Give me a shawarma that is like a real shawarma, not a chicken wrap.  You may be surprised that Muncie has a lot more open minded people who will welcome such fascinating flavors.  
  If anyone from Damask Cafe is reading this, I give you a challenge.  I will come in there and pay double for a real shawarma.  I miss it and would love to have it served to me in Muncie, IN.

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  Posted on 03.01.13 Steve S.

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  We popped in on Thursday evening to find a nearly full parking lot, but were seated promptly. Our server was quick to take our drink orders, etc.  The table was a little sticky, and the lack of salt and pepper was odd, but let's move on.
  
  The falafel app was great. Light, fluffy, nicely seasoned and beautifully presented. 7 hush puppy sized balls with a mint yoghurt sauce, perfectly toasted pita wedges, and unadvertized junkie with a chili sauce. Not the best hummus ever, but it was free I guess.
  
  Entrees came out quickly.  The gyro plate was ok, but for $13, the portion of meat was dismal. Rather than using a real rotisserie gyro machine, they hack off a hunk from the Kronos log.  It was fine, but clearly not cooked the way I'm used to, and totally not enough.  The bed of rice and grilled veg was ok, but I had to ask for the latter, as the kitchen had forgotten it.  The salad was served on the same plate and was dressed with the thickest globs of balsamic I've ever seen.  It was like cold brown gravy.  The "fried potatoes" were fries, and somehow not great.  It wad though they were lightly battered.  
  
  The chicken shawrma wrap was bullshit. The chicken was tender, but the summac seasoning the.menu so loudly boasts didn't do anything for us. There were a couple fries and dill pickle chips inside the spinach tortilla too.  We had no business ordering that, but it had no place on that menu.
  
  Service was great and our server seemed genuinely concerned about our experience. The chef did a meet and greet too.  The place just lacks focus. Is it Mediterranean or middle eastern? If the chef is a turk, do more Turkish food! If the owner is Lebanese, serve that stuff!  They just seem to be confused about who they are and are pandering to ignorant muncie palates.  I'll be back in a few months, hopefully when they've got a new menu.
  
  Great tzatziki, BTW.
  
  No beer or wine!!!!!!

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  Posted on 02.23.13 Albertro F.

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  The only thing that would soften the blow of the closing of the non-chain Italian restaurant that used to occupy the premises, would be to have a decent ethnic restaurant take its place.  Even better would be if it was something not previously available in Muncie.  Well Muncie restauranteurs--we have really landed on our feet with the opening of the Damask Cafe.  Muncie finally has its first Mediterranean Restaurant.  It opened February 15 officially, but I am hearing that there was a "soft" opening prior to that last week for the Mediterranean community where everything was half price.  Darn.  How did I miss out on that?
  
  Appetizers?  You have eight to pick from:  Zaatar, Hummus, Baba Gannoush, Felafel, Fried Eggplant, Yelangee, and Spanikopita.  Can't make up your mind?  Pick one of three combination appetizers.  Prices on the "food before the food" (which is what my oldest son used to call it) range from 4.95 to 16.95 for the ultimate combo platter.
  
  Salads?  I am glad you asked.  My wife was quite happy with her Greek salad.  Plenty of Feta and Pitted Olives, tossed with a light vinagrette that was not overpowering.  Other choices here included: Damask Chicken Salad, Tabouleh, Barley Salad (tagged as one of their original dishes, and it does sound interesting) and Fatoush.
  
  There are wraps ranging from the familiar Gyro to the less familiar Veggie Wrap that has grilled zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, and basmati rice with parmesan cheese.
  Wraps are served with a side salad.
  
  Main courses are all less than 15 dollars and are served with rice pilaf, house salad, pita bread, and choice of either the soup of the day, spicy spinach, or fresh fried potatoes seasoned with cilantro and garlic.  Here you can get Summac chicken, lamb kabobs, Gyro plate, Kufta, Gambos Con Ajo ( a shrimp dish which I shall try next time) or Mjeddrah--a vegetarian dish, which if you just can't stand it, you can add meat to it for an upcharge.
  
  I ordered the Feast Combination platter, which both I and my wife enjoyed and there were still leftovers to take home.  The lamb kabobs which I ordered as my "red" meat with the Feast had plenty of lamb and I got four of them  The meat, while tender, was slightly over done for me as they were delivered well done.  I don't know if I could have ordered medium or not.  The kebobs were lightly seasoned, and I would have liked them better if they had been  basted with seasoning during the cooking process.  The Summac Chicken was very good.  Not dried out, and it prompted me to buy some Sumac seasoning on the way home.  (I don't know which spelling is correct, Summac or Sumac, or if both are acceptable)  One thing which was surprising good was a glob of white stuff that I thought was going to be sour cream or gyro sauce.  Instead it was garlic sauce which was quite tasty.  Oh, the rice was perfect.  Not at all starchy or stuck together.
  
  So what did I not like about it?  Dumb stuff like not having a choice of artificial sweetners.  You could have any kind you wanted as long as it was the pink packet kind.  The lantern table decoration is too big, especially on a table for two which is what we had.  No specials were available.  No lunch menu.  No salt or pepper on the tables.

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  Posted on 02.16.13 CK A.

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