My first exposure to Moroccan food was 2003 or 2004 when I convinced my Arabic teacher to have us over for dinner. I remember him preparing a chicken dish with yukon gold potatoes and peas, I guess it was similar to salona but was made with Moroccan spices. The following year when he returned from Marrakesh, he brought me a tea set and spices - black pepper, nutmeg, paprika, cumin, and ginger. I stored them in airtight ceramic containers and they're still very fresh (much better than McCormick). That was also one of my earliest exposures to "Arab hospitality," he felt as if he should have made more dishes, but the food was tasty and plentiful.
We tried a couple of Moroccan restaurants in the city but the atmosphere was not to our liking. Then, during Ramadan 2008, I had the best couscous - with chicken and vegetables, subtle yet bursting with flavor. That braised chicken and vegetables reminded me of a dish I had in UAE, so I recreated it (all but the homemade couscous) using my Moroccan spices. Other than that, I've only created stews with what I call a regional (North African) flair. But, now I'm reinspired to explore Moroccan cuisine.
I noticed a little restaurant on the fringe of University City - Marrakesh Express - a few days ago, a friend told me she had eaten there, saying that the food good but cost a little more than she expected. Last night my husband wanted to go out for a quick meal, so I suggested Marrakesh Express.
The name as well as the decor conjures a quick, tasty, affordable, ethnic meal. However the price point would have been more appropriate at a different venue. The owner clearly has no qualms about how delicious his food is; and it was good but not as plentiful as I expected. We had couscous (Friday special), ketban (lamb and and rice), salad (very good), and zaalouk (eggplant appetizer). We finished our meal with a ichmick, a dairy based dessert topped with nuts, seemingly made from yogurt or cream cheese.
I'm sure we'll go back but in interim I'm totally ready to travel the road to Morocco.
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I'm with you on not liking the Moroccan restaurants in the city. Without knowing, I took Ibrahim once on a Mother/Son outing and was MORTIFIED! Food wasn't even anything I would have raved about so compiled with the atrocious atmosphere - I'm done. But I'm excited about this place. I'll google it for the address. Price point is disappointing, and I'm sure since one of my cooking strengths is from this region, I'll be shocked, but worth a try. Thanks for the review! Keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteThe food was good, probably the best I've had that wasn't homemade...but not good to the point where it's a must visit. I'm thinking about doing Moroccan tonight.
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