Omars-front
By Dave Lowry
Gyros. Shawarmas. What’s the diff, you want to know? Oh yeah. It’s one of many questions. How can we achieve world peace? How would time travel theoretically work? What’s the reason for Kanye West’s existence? Your pals have answers to all the easy stuff. When it comes to the hard questions, you’re always bothering us. Fortunately, we’re up to the task.
We’d advise you to order both the gyro and the shawarma at Omar’s, so you can do a delicious side-by-side comparison. Omar’s moved last year into a long-vacant Taco Campanita over on St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. This moved the place decidedly north of the border in spirit--and a few thousand miles east as well. Omar’s advertises “Italian, Mediterranean and More,” which--even excluding the “More” part--is still a fairly large culinary backyard to cover in one restaurant. When you go, at least on the first visit, pass on the “Italian” part. It’s not bad Italian. Omar’s bounces around Italy with several presentable pasta dishes, chicken parmigiana, and St. Louis–, Chicago–, and New York–style pizza, the last of which we tried and which was fine, but which was about as New York as grits. Where this place really hits its stride, though, is on the Middle Eastern side of the menu. Crispy falafel balls, piquant marinated lamb chops, kofta kebabs of lamb, creamy puddles of smooth hummus with a beautiful sheen of olive oil on top and hot, aromatic triangles of pita for dipping. This is some great Middle Eastern fare.
Okay, back to the gyro/shawarma thing, both of which are way above average at Omar’s. Both are built from meat that comes off a spit. Gyros get their name from the Greek, the same people who gave us gyrate and gyroscope and the most recent near–financial collapse of their own country--though that last one’s probably beside the point. Anyway, the meat for gyros gyrates over heat on a thick spike, cooking slowly, basting in its own delicious juices. Same for the meat destined for a shawarma. The meat in both can be lamb or beef or a combination. (You can get chicken gyros or shawarma at Omar’s; why you’d want to is another question.) The difference is that the meat in a gyro has been ground and then pressed into a big, round, densely packed meatloaf that gets cooked and sliced. Shawarma meat, on the other hand, is layered. So the meat packed into your shawarma has a much different texture. Think lemon-scented barbecue.
Omar’s gyros are packed with grilled onions. The shawarma here are loaded with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Both are wrapped in thick pita rolls, both drizzled with a creamy tzatziki-type sauce. And both are accompanied by big fistfuls of French fries, a classic New York signature you probably won’t find in Tel Aviv or Istanbul, but which works well.
Nobody’s going to describe the place as “elegant.” Or “spacious.” There are about a dozen tables, but you’ll notice right away that the majority of the space here is given over to a big kitchen. That says a lot. Omar’s is an unpretentious little place that’s serving some excellent Middle Eastern fare. Don’t forget a triangle of honey-sweet baklava for dessert, though. And then you’ll be bothering us again, wanting to know the difference between the Turkish and Greek versions.
Omar's Italian & Mediterranean Cuisine
10111 St. Charles Rock Rd.
St. Ann, MO, 63074 (Google Maps)
314-429-6881
[Note: This is the second in a new web-only review series called "Been There?"]
