As soon as we saw that Casablanca served Moroccan food, we were very interested in visiting. We hadn't had Moroccan food before but all the dishes seemed delicious and we especially wanted to see how the cuisine differs from the many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean places we've been to throughout Metro Detroit.
We stopped in for a Saturday lunch and found the place almost completely empty, with only a single other table eating in. Service was generally friendly and quick although they were rather short staffed at the time, with only the owner and one cook in the house. While we were leaving another two people came in to work so we might have just been there too early. We settled on getting the Moroccan Combo for Two, which basically hit almost everything we wanted to try.
Moroccan Combo for Two ($49.99) - This menu item comes with a variety of different Moroccan dishes, so it was a good choice given that we had a number of things we wanted to try. The combo comes with two sides, with a choice between rice, fries, soup (lentil or vegetable), and salad. We went with rice and salad.
Salad - The salad is pretty standard cut vegetables (romaine, diced tomato, and diced cucumber) with a fattoush-like vinegrette. The portion size is a bit smaller than what I expected, given the full size salad we usually get from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants when we order the combos for two.
Zaalook - This dish tempers down the smokiness of a baba ganoush with a bit of spice and tomato base. It has a slightly chunky texture so we could scoop it up with bread easily.
Hummus - Pretty standard hummus, nothing much else to say. It goes well with the bread.
We got a small round loaf of sliced Moroccan bread (khubz) with the two dips. The bread is served warm to the touch, with a good crust and moist interior. It seems to be mainly whole wheat based, adding a good earthiness. It's yeasted, and the inside is nice and fluffy.
Half Bistilla - We were a bit taken aback at the sweet/savory combo here. Cinnamon on savory, fine, but powdered sugar on top as well? After we tasted it, it turned out to be really good. Fresh fried crispy phyllo surrounding a layer of spiced chicken and egg mixture, a layer of chopped cinnamon almonds, and then topped with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar.I think it was very smart of them to include a half serving in the combo, so we could take a risk and not have an entire entree to go through. Be sure to eat the bistilla quickly as the bottom can get soggy after sitting a while.
Half Sweet Lamb Tagine - The sweet lamb is served with couscous that is extremely fluffy and pairs well with the meat. I do not typically like the gaminess of a Western lamb, but this one was tender, lean, and had almost none of the gamey lamb flavor. I guess they use fat-tailed sheep? Take this with a grain of salt, but I found that the lamb was some of the best I've had - the fact that I actually enjoyed eating this was a surprise. The lamb is covered in a delicious sauce flavored with bay leaves and herbs (cilantro stems + ?) mixed with diced onions and raisins. There are several large pieces of carrot included, which were tender with a sweetness that complemented the dish.
Half Chicken Mhammar - This was served with the rice choice as mentioned above. The rice seems to be cooked in a salty chicken broth - we actually found it to be a little too salty for our tastes. It had the texture of a pilaf with a kind of al dente bite. They cook it with some fat to give it a smooth mouthfeel, and turmeric to give it a bright yellow appearance. The chicken is served in a tasty tomato and onion based sauce. The chicken had great flavor on the skin and had some crispier charred bits. The interior, as expected for most roast-type chickens, was kind of on the dry side especially on the breast meat, but this just allowed it to soak up more of the delicious sauce.
Side Note: Casablanca charges a 4% credit card fee
Casablanca was definitely a great introduction to Moroccan food. Everything was delicious and I feel like we got good value for the price. We'll be back in the future to try some other Moroccan specialties - we're thinking the Kafta Tagine and the Charmoula. read more