Anyone can scroll through reels or recently revived TikTok and get a handful of recommendations, but when you eat for a job, you have to dig deeper to figure out why something is gracing your media feed.
I often ask myself: Is this person a genuine foodie or were they paid to promote this food? Would they know the difference between parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano? Is the food good or does it just have a cheese pull? Who? What? When? Where? Why?
So when half the city (namely Uptown) started raving about a secret menu item at Las Palmas, the chicken Caesar salad wrap, a full-on CSI investigation was in order.
The first video we watched that likely put the wrap on the map claimed it was the "best chicken Caesar wrap in Dallas". Another was granted the influencer's stamp of approval after praising the Mexican-spiced chicken and the warmly wrapped tortilla.
An honest video from @cloroxwipes55 rated the wrap a 6.5 and 6/10, respectively.
So last weekend we went to try it.
Ordering this is a guaranteed way to get your food the quickest. On the Friday night we went, the waitlist was already more than an hour long. We nabbed the very last bar stool and were one of the first to receive our food.
The wrap isn't bad. Actually, it's pretty good, but not $25 good.
They make their tortillas in-house and make sure they're warmed, which is a nice detail many miss. There's not too much sauce in it. Instead, they serve it with a side of extra dressing. Smart. There's an even amount of lettuce and chicken. Inherently, there's nothing wrong with it.
What's wrong with the wrap is the principle of ordering it. Our dignity took a hit when we scoured the menu of enchiladas and tacos, but instead ordered a chicken Caesar salad wrap that wasn't on the menu. Nor was it Tex-Mex.
There are plenty of spots in Dallas serving this on their permanent menus that are likely just as good for a fraction of the price. Why go to Las Palmas for it?
Dallas has this tight grip on being "exclusive," and that's likely what's happened with this wrap becoming so trendy. As for Las Palmas, I'm sure they're just fine making a killing from selling these "exclusive" wraps.
A week later, when fact-checking our research, we found this long-winded Instagram post from @ccseesfood warning everyone not to fall for the TikTok lore of the wrap:
The first takeaway was the price of the wrap, which is broken down like this: $11 for the base Caesar salad, add chicken for $9, then it's a $5 surcharge to make it a wrap. $25. That's steep.
Mind you, for the same price at Las Palmas, you can get a deluxe dinner plate, shrimp and lobster enchiladas or a half order of wagyu fajitas. Or, three rounds of cocktails during their weekday happy hour.
After that, the poster shared their official review: "Got home and opened it up and it was the most underwhelming wrap I’ve ever had. [...] Wasn’t even that much chicken in my wrap, and could have made this at home, which probably would have been better!! I will return to Las Palmas because I love their food, but this is the last time I’m ever ordering something that’s not Mexican from a Mexican restaurant. There is a reason this Caesar wrap is off the menu ~ because you shouldn’t be ordering it."
Then came a recommendation for a "good chicken Caesar wrap in Dallas": "Go to Bellagreen and order it with the sweet potato fries and a side of the peach aioli."
And for that, another investigation is in order.
