What: Philly cheese steak wrap
Where: Wrap Houz, 555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, No. A109, Palm Springs
How much: $14.99
Contact: 760-666-4700; wraphouz.net
Why: It was an exceedingly pleasant surprise.
Sometimes, menu items surprise you—like the amazing burger at a seafood restaurant. The delicious espresso at the cocktail bar. Or the fantastic salad at the burger joint.
We can now add to that list: the splendid Philly cheese steak wrap at Wrap Houz.
Wrap Houz is, for the most part, a Mediterranean restaurant—mostly for takeout and delivery orders, although there are a couple of tables for people who want to dine in. The offerings include wraps and “platterz” with falafel, kofta, shawarma, gyro and kebab, and sides like hummus, baba ghanouj and grape leaves, which are all things one would expect to find at a Mediterranean spot.
However, I recently decided to try Wrap Houz’s Philly cheese steak wrap—and you don’t need to consult your Rand McNally atlas to know that Philadelphia is nowhere near the Mediterranean. Boy, am I glad I took a chance. The hot, melty mixture of grilled steak, onions, mushrooms, peppers and provolone cheese, all wrapped in a grilled tortilla, was perfect. 10/10, no notes.
This is not to say that Wrap Houz’s Mediterranean offerings are in any way subpar—in fact, everything we’ve tried has been quite good (although we wish the gyro was more of the thinly sliced variety). Their grape leaves, in fact, are worthy of an endorsement-within-an-endorsement.
I admit that I had unfairly low expectations for Wrap Houz, due to its dive-bar proximity, the counter service and the overly cutesy name. Be smarter than me, and don’t judge the figurative book by its cover: Wrap Houz is making some of the best Mediterranean food in the valley … and a fantastic Philly cheese steak wrap, too.
