Moroccan Dinner
Moroccan food is one of my favorite cuisines. There is something very comforting about the various food eaten by Moroccans. It is rich with flavor thanks to the many spices used, and generally does not feel all that heavy. Most of the dishes are served with healthier proteins like chicken and lamb, accompanied with a myriad of vegetables and light accoutrements like couscous. I can never get enough Moroccan food, which is why I am always on the lookout for new Moroccan restaurants. Luckily we found just the place not too far from home.
It took us about 15-20 minutes to get to this local bistro. They serve Moroccan food, although it appears to be somewhat of a fusion of varying middle eastern cuisines. We visited during dinner, and opted to stick to more traditional Moroccan dishes rather than stray into the other very delicious sounding dishes.
Morocco has a very special place in our hearts. This was the last true overseas vacation we have been able to enjoy. We visited Morocco in late 2019, first landing in Casablanca before heading directly to Marrakesh for three days. One day we spent touring Essaouira before embarking on a three day adventure to Fes via the Sahara Desert and other spots. Although Fes has a lot to see and do, we only spent two full days there before departing for Chefchaouen where we stayed four days. Finally, we spent our last night in Casablance after a nice trip from Chefchaouen via the high speed rail connecting Tangiers and Morocco's largest city.
The entire trip was sublime.
We have really fond memories of all the people we met and time we spent across Morocco. Personally, the food had the strongest impact on me. From my first bite of beef tangia in Marrakesh - affectionately called bachelors stew - to the more refined meal we ate for our final dinner in Casablanca, the food was all so very memorable.
On Sunday night we were finally able to dive deep into some semi-authentic Moroccan food. It all started with something decidely not Moroccan: liver mousse. Beyond that, it was straight outta Morocco from there on out.
The salad was appropriately called Moroccan Salad, a standard mixture of vegetables and spices we often encountered in our travels across the country. That was followed up with a Berber omelete, ostensibly known as the Moroccan version of shakshuka but not really anything like the traditional dish. Nevertheless, it was tasty and simple.
Then it was on to the main course: lamb meatball tajine served with couscous. While the meatballs were a bit tougher than expected, the flavors were outstanding. It brought back a rush of memories leading to a nostalgic conversation about our trip. We finished up our dinner with Moroccan Mint Tea and a nice nothing-close-to-Moroccan yet very good dessert.
Overall, this was a pretty nice restaurant with a lovely atmosphere and decent food. It is worth exploring a few more times, to check out the other menu items to see how authentic they are, but also to remind us of our wonderful time in the beautiful country of Morocco. If you have never enjoyed tajine or any Moroccan dish, you are doing yourself a disservice. Try some one time and rest assured you will enjoy the meal.