Damascus Fine Foods owner Gus Elhowari

It’s rather hidden off the heavily trodden 17th Avenue SW path. But Damascus Fine Foods is a Mediterranean heavyweight, with owner Gus Elhowari employing some 40 people in expanded quarters that include a sit-down dining room.

They serve Damascene cuisine, featuring a balance of salty, tangy and sour flavours. Typical dishes are kebabs, mezza appetizers and grilled kibbeh, a mixture of ground meat and cracked wheat.

The shawarma station swings into action

Damascus’s popular shawarma wraps start with the conventional vertical rotisserie of shaved meats. But things then veer to unusual details like pomegranate molasses, garlic and pickles, relatively few vegetables and a final crisping on the grill.

My superb chicken shami ($15.50 large) is thinner than your typical shawarma, allowing me to focus on the spiced chicken and not be distracted by superfluous toppings. Great stuff.

My shami chicken shawarma is nicely crisped

Heading out the door, I grab a fine eggplant dip and, of course, a complementary piece of honey-drenched baklava.

A lovely eggplant dip to go

Damascus Fine Foods
4, 718 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
Opens 11 am weekdays, noon weekends
403-244-2424