Dune — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I went to get food here with some friends. We went to order at the window, and then a server told us we could sit down at a table and a server would come around to take our order.

A server came a few moments later and we ordered, and I asked to use the bathroom. She told me that they do not have a bathroom, and got halfway through saying "because we're not a sit down place", stopping before the word "down" (we were clearly sitting down and getting our order taken by a server...) and changing to "because we don't serve food on premises." She then suggested I go across the street to Subway and buy a cookie or something so I could use their bathroom. Ma'am, I'm already eating dinner HERE. I was pretty annoyed.

Anyway, our food came and I got the lamb and hummus plate and my friends got other plates. The food was very good, so I still recommend you go here if you are getting carry out or delivery.

Anyway, I was annoyed throughout dinner and I'm so sorry if I was rude to the servers. I was very annoyed I couldn't pee here and that it was suggested I go buy additional items elsewhere to pee. Regardless, the servers didn't make that policy so it was unfair to act annoyed toward them.

I decided to stir the pot a little because if they don't serve on premises, then I must be seated on a public sidewalk and I can smoke a cigarette. Another employee came over and told me to put my cigarette out. And so I asked if I was on their premises. She didn't answer and just kept repeating to put my cigarette out, and I kept repeating my question, asking whether I was on their premises or a public sidewalk. She finally told me, they have a permit and you are not allowed to smoke (I looked this up later, and it is true, L.A. Al Fresco permits disallow smoking within 10 feet of the permitted area but, okay, just say that in the first place instead of ignoring my question).

Then she got in my face and said "YOU ARE SO GROSS". I won't even comment on that one. Although I was clearly annoyed with the policy of the restaurant and complained about it, I did not personally attack or insult the staff in any way.

Anyway, she had asked me to leave and we were done eating and I had boxed up my leftovers, so we left. I asked the server her name, which I think was Leslie but may have been Laurel or something like that.

Based on the information I have found online, any business that serves food or coffee is required to have a bathroom for customers under ADA.

It seems weird to insist that they "don't serve food on premises" while seating people at tables under umbrellas clearly marked "Dune", having servers operating and taking orders at the tables, and since they have the authority to ask people to leave. If you can make me leave, I'm on your premises, since I can't be made to leave a public sidewalk.

It's just unreasonable to serve a sit down dinner with no bathrooms for customers. The options are either drive 30 minutes (or whatever) in traffic to see a friend for dinner, sit through dinner unable to enjoy it due to the urge to pee, then drive home in traffic, with a full bladder, or make an auxillary purchase of something I don't even want so I can use another...

So I’ve tried lots of Middle Eastern / Mediterranean food in the U..S and in the Middle East — and I was intrigued to try this place but had a love / hate experience here.

First, if I came for a vegan meal, all the fresh greens and veggies, cabbage, turnips with something like falafel might have won me over, because the freshness and most flavors were cool.

However, I ordered Lamb and Hummus.

Hated - that it was ground lamb, not kebab or pieces of meat, 3 small falafel size meatballs Loved - the spice mixed with it Hated - that they way the cook overdid the spice - tasting clumps of dry spice powder

Loved - Salad and veggies Loved - Garlic Sauce Loved - The staff - positive, outgoing, kind

Loved - Tahina Flavor, great sesame roast flavor, obviously homemade. BUT Hated - That they serious watered the tahina down. If they didn’t water it down, it could become a favorite.

Liked Hummus -not loved, slightly sour - still good. Hated - watered down but not as much as tahina

So, overall 3.5 perhaps. They use the medium meal container so here’s my take.

If you are going for cuisine (vs home cooking/larger portions) and small portions then for me you have to fully execute and deliver on flavor and textures. They do well on flavors (except sour edge on hummus) and tahina flavor is 5 stars. But both are watered down. For me you can’t both cut portions, and cut corners to balance your margins. Watery tahina? Watered down hummus? It’s shying away from authentic texture and the wrong place to make cost cuts. The lamb spice was great, but seriously dry clumps of spice and no forewarning of it being ground meat was a surprise and a disappointment.

So overall

Love the flavors apart from Hummus sour edge and still liked it. A few changes and the meal could be really great, more authentic, less sour.

I do like small portions when the flavors and textures are individually great and well combined and executed.

Some of that happens here - but clumpy, powdery, over-spiced ground meat combined with watered down hummus and runny tahina is not how you should get there.

To me you have to choose what you are. If you are cuisine, I’ll accept the smaller portions but you have to execute equally on flavor, texture and balance of flavors.

3.5...

Shortly after learning about Dune, we made a quick trip over to give it a go, and were basically blown away. We were excited to begin with, but our expectations were far surpassed. Practically everything we tried here was absurdly delicious.

The green falafel were incredibly fresh-tasting, perfectly moist, and even better, so light you could practically call them dainty if they weren't so filling. The pastured lamb was cooked and seasoned without flaw, allowing the natural flavour and moisture of the meat to come through while complementing it and escorting it in the direction of Mediterranean/Turkish cuisine without drowning it in spices.

Seeing pastured lamb on the menu of such a casual eatery and for not ridiculous prices really puts everywhere that doesn't use at least similar quality meat to shame. And the fact that they clearly distinguish their ingredients of higher-quality (i.e. organic, heirloom, pastured, etc.) is very much appreciated.

Nothing is standard here, though nearly every item is almost cliché in its familiarity. The hummus, tabouleh, even the olives for god's sake!, foods we've developed relatively specific expectations for, all are done with a gentle twist that caught us just slightly off guard.

All that said, lately, we've found ourselves disappointed by drinks and desserts of eateries which have otherwise strong menus. Being a common problem doesn't make it any less forgivable. Everything offered should receive equal attention. Nothing should be an afterthought.

The rosemary lemonade, while certainly delicious, hardly lived up to its name, with its title completely overselling the rosemary's presence. Its function being more to attract hipsters who will jump at anything with an herb in it.

The baklava was just plain sad. Really one of the worst we've ever had, with its ingredients completely disproportionate, and the phyllo was confusingly both soggy and stale.

Lesson learned. We're plenty excited for our return – we'll just skip...