Of all the fantastic restaurants Castle Rock has to offer, the Town doesn’t have a lot to choose from in the ethnic food department. After hearing Damascus Grill was opening on May 1st of this year, I knew this middle-eastern restaurant would be a great place to try some eclectic food.
The owner, Mahmoud Kassir, moved to the United States 25 years ago from Syria. Upon reaching his first hometown, Omaha, Nebraska, he realized how much he missed the delicious middle-eastern food his mom had cooked for him growing up.
Asking for her for cooking advice, she sent him videotapes to teach him how to make his favorite dishes. After moving to Denver with his family some years later, the rest is history – Damascus Grill was born in 1990, with their first location in Denver, near I-25 and Colorado.
Though we haven’t explored the Littleton local, their new Castle Rock establishment definitely has a décor that captures what one would imagine a middle-eastern restaurant to be. On the Thursday night we decided to go; we were immediately lured in from the second we smelled the fragrant spices.
Damascus is small and casual, with only a handful of tables. Our family (kids in tow) were promptly seated and given menus and drinks. We had decided to bring our kids since they tend to be somewhat adventurous with food; however, I would not recommend Damascus Grill for children since they don’t offer a kids menu, nor do they have kids cups with tops. To be fair, we all know kids can be picky eaters so I can’t imagine many patrons bringing their kids there…
Upon perusing the menu, we realized we weren’t well versed in middle-eastern cuisine and were unsure about what to order. The server was very friendly and helpful in making suggestions of popular items so we could put our meal together.
For an appetizer, we ordered the Muhamarra Dip, which resembled a thicker red pepper hummus, and it was served with fresh pita bread. As our main dishes, we ordered two plates: 1.) the Meat Combo plate, which included a Kafta kabob, lamb kabob, chicken kabob, meat and chicken shawarma and rice, and 2.) the Gyro plate, which came with lamb and rice.
Both meals included a salad, hummus and fresh pita bread, along with two of the most delicious sauces I’ve ever tasted: Tahini and Tzatziki. The portions were generous, so we were able to feed all five of us on just the appetizer and two plates alone, with some to go. To finish off our dinner, we ordered baklava, a perfect way to end the meal.
Overall, I love this place. Since we were the only patrons in the restaurant, our service was great! The server was actually the son of the chef, and the chef was Mahmoud’s brother, and also co-owner. Hence, to say this is a family business, is clearly an understatement.
We were able to speak with the chef who was very proud of making everything from scratch and homemade. Their fresh pita bread and hummus (creamiest most delicious hummus I’ve ever had) are reason enough to come back to this restaurant in and of itself.
Though, I think next time we go, we may order our meal for ‘take out’ since it’s really tough to get young children to sit and eat such unique food. I’m thrilled this restaurant is in town, and anticipate returning soon!
Damascus Grill
703 Wilcox Street
Castle Rock, CO 80104-1700
(303) 688-4441
http://www.yelp.com/biz/damascus-grill-castle-rock
