Get it? It like, kind of sounds like Simon Says. But with shawarma!
Which brings me to this blog. It's about shawarma and other wrapped foods from basically anywhere that Alexander the Great conquered — you know, donairs, kebabs, falafels, gyros.
I'll be honest: I eat a lot of shawarma (notice how there is no "s" for the plural of shawarma. Now, my grasp of Arabic is negligible at best and at likeliest is limited to the names of various wrapped goods, habibi, and salaam, but if I can do one service for this mortal coil, it will be to standardize the language used when discussing said sandwiches. So, say it with me: I enjoy eating shawarma).
And since I live in the undisputed capital of shawarma (at least in the Western hemisphere... I'm guessing Beirut probably has Ottawa beat), and I can string together sentences, and I've eaten at at least 20 different shawarma stops within the Ottawa-Toronto-Montreal triangle, I consider myself qualified enough to level my opinion on the calibre of shawarma here and abroad. Consider this my contribution to the dialogue necessary to bringing about lasting peace in the Middle East or whatever.
First, a couple of ground rules:
Shawarma's King (the Bank St. location) is the benchmark by which all other shawarma will be judged. It's consistently been named the top shawarma stop in Ottawa, and for my money, strikes the perfect balance between shawarma, meze (garlic potatoes, basically), and other accoutrements. I know there are those who swear by Sandrella's, or Garlic Corner, or La Shish, or Marroush, but none of those (admittedly venerable) restaurats has ever garnered a broadbased consensus of shawarmawesomeness like Shawarma's King.
Also, unless stated otherwise, the chicken sandwich trio (all-dressed, w/ garlic sauce on both shawarma and potatoes) will be the de rigeur selection by which to compare shawarma. Beef shawarma just seems... not as right. Not wrong, but not as right.
This is unchartered territory, folks, so feel free to share your two cents. Disagree with me, and all of posterity will be better for it. We'll be like the Amerigo Vespuccis and Vasco Da Gamas of Lebanese fast food.
