A new fast-casual restaurant blending Afghan roots with global street food flavors has fired up its grill in Carrollton. Flaming Bites, opened by longtime friends and business partners Masihullah Samadi and Rafiullah Esmati, is serving 100 percent halal meats, customizable platters, and a sprawling dessert case out of a strip center at 1002 Webb Chapel Road.
Samadi and Esmati are both from Kabul, Afghanistan, and bring restaurant experience from Afghanistan and Turkey to their new venture, according to CultureMap Dallas. The restaurant centers on Afghan cuisine but draws culinary inspiration from a wide swath of the globe, pulling flavors from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Mexico and America into one menu. The name itself is a nod to the restaurant’s open grill and its signature meats.
A Menu That Spans Continents
The menu leans heavily on street food staples showcasing Mediterranean and South-Central Asian flavors, per the same report. Chicken, lamb, beef, falafel and fish anchor the offerings, served up as gyros, platters, kebabs and salads, with cumin, paprika and turmeric doing much of the seasoning work. Customers can customize their plates with fresh ingredients, and the kitchen aims to get food out in under ten minutes.
Beyond the core Afghan-inspired dishes, Flaming Bites also serves hamburgers, smash burgers, Philly and chicken cheesesteaks, sandwiches, sliders, Cajun chicken tenders and wings — a menu built to appeal well beyond a single cuisine. House sauces include white tzatziki, hot sauce, salsa verde, BBQ, honey mustard, mango habanero, honey BBQ and ranch. Most menu items are priced between $8 and $12, and the restaurant offers both dine-in and takeout…