Mr. Ref and I made a second foray to Marrakech this evening and brought 2 members unable to make the official dinner club event earlier this month. At 6:00 p.m. the dining room was literally empty, but our host quickly emerged from behind a decorative screen to sit us in a cozy booth. We ordered the Sampler Platter a second time and enjoyed scooping up the eggplant, peppers, carrots with our bread wedges. Delicious as it was unexpected! The chicken kabobs were perfectly moist and savory. We soon noticed some sparks outside the window which became a full-fledged raging fire--a church was burning across the street and the production included at least 2 ladder trucks. The spectacle was being supervised by a helicopter and numerous by-standers as well. Guess we needed a little more excitement to add to the night!
I ordered the lamb shank above at my first visit and tonight chose Beef Tajine. The lamb shank was a great disapointment to me as it tasted gamey and I would swear was goat, not lamb. The accompanying rice and vegetables were tainted by the gaminess that was much stronger than expected. One of our group was happy to take the leavings home, so I am sure it was a well concoted dish--just not to my taste! I much more enjoyed the Beef Tajine which is a moist, fragrant cut of beef reminiscent of roast, but slightly sweet and sprinkled with sesame seed. Apricots, prunes and eggs accompany the dish. I highly recommend the mint tea served hot! or cold--your preference.
This is a delightful restaurant--the wait staff is friendly and efficient. We were serenaded by live Morrocan music which made the evening that much more charming. Tonight we finished our meal by sharing the Baklava, and while I didn't enjoy the banana flavored whipped cream, some in our group found it very appealing.
The church was still burning as we exited the restaurant and passed a young man blasting tunes from his psychodelic bycycle complete with mirror ball (yes, it was lit and rotating!) on the back. One of our guest members commented he could be her generation's equivalent of playing the saxaphone on the corner. She could be right. The sights, sounds, smells, etc... that I experienced in one evening were at once exotic, scary, exciting, strange, delicious and comforting. I am grateful to live in this fabulous city! What a privilege to experience this diversity while safely close to home.
Rating 3.5
