Wraps & Crepes

617A North 114th Street (Namaste plaza)
Omaha, NE 68154
402.505.4488
Open daily for lunch and dinner, closed in between meals, closed Sundays

#13 Chicken Dosa, side of Sambar and cilantro chutney ($8.99)

If you ask me, "wraps" might be the most overrated food to come out of the '90s, and their unwavering popularity generally bugs me. This generic restaurant name might at first lead you to believe they're serving up California-turkey-in-a-spinach-wrap-with-a-side-of-ranch-dressing-and-Sun-Chips. As it turns out, the proprietors of this tasty southern Indian fast casual concept were just really lazy coming up with their name. The tunes weren't strategically chosen, either: There was a very short loop of '80s hits on piano from the bottom of the Walmart bin, and that was it.

"Duh duh duh duh, duh duh duh," went the stereo. I couldn't quite place the song but I think it might be on TLC's A Baby Story.

Yes, the space feels a lot like Q'doba and Co., but at least it's clean and organized, if that's what you're into. Many of us will experience dosas -- a type of crispy crepe made with rice flour -- and uttapas -- the thicker pancake version -- for the first time here. They were out of mango chutney, but the cilantro chutney was a burst of flavor that tasted good poured on everything. The chicken in my dosa was served in large, juicy cubes, red with seasonings and smeared with creamy goat cheese. Spinach and roasted tomatoes rounded out the colossal monster of a crepe, which had more of a cracker-y texture due to the rice flour.

In the wrap, the tender lamb pieces blended well with the stewed green peppers and onions. The wrap itself was somewhat like a stretchy, high-quality tortilla. Still, I favor the more adventurous dishes and would probably ditch the wrap next time.

#1 Wrap with lamb ($7.99)

"Duh duh duh duh, duh duh duh." The same song was playing a fifth time. The neon green walls with informational placards about garlic were closing in. The rest of the lamb wrap was a soupy mess, and I had stringy okra from the Sambar (in this case a take on lentil soup) stuck in my teeth. I will go back to Wraps & Crepes if I'm in the area, especially to try the mango lassi drink and samosas appetizer. But I might opt to take it to go, since in my experience the atmosphere didn't have much to offer. In fact, it made me a little crazy.

Staring down the barrel of a dosa.

Dosa Unwrapped:
chicken, spinach, goat cheese.

Should you want to learn about garlic and other health foods on your lunch break,
this is the place.