Well, once again I re-visited a restaurant only to learn that, for whatever reason, I did not review it the first time. I came here with my son at least six years ago. I know it has been that long because the restaurant has shifted one store over from where it was when we ate there. I asked the owner today if they had remodeled, and she told me they switched store locations six years ago. I was shocked to hear that my first visit had been that long ago. I remember that my son and I loved everything we had on that visit and swore we would be back. But, because of our habit of chasing down "new to us" ethnic restaurants, we just never had time for a return.
Today, I was once again eating lunch with a group of retired school teachers. We arrived just as they were opening up. There were three ladies there that went through the door with us. I assume that at least one of them was the owner. We sat at a big table on the back wall but close to the dessert cabinets. I'll talk about the desserts later, but several of us agreed we would go there for tea and dessert alone. They looked and tasted that good.
I ordered a pot of hot mint tea. It was served in a cute little silver-toned tea pot on a pretty little silver tray. It smelled wonderful and got stronger as I worked my way through the pot. It was lightly sweetened and really accompanied my meal well. That meal was lamb shank cooked with almonds and prunes. Knowing that I would be that rude guy who "sops" in public, (Mama told me NEVER to do that!) I opted for Moroccan bread instead of saffron rice. That turned out to be the best choice for me, as the gravy that the lamb was cooked in was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. The spices were very exotic and really knocked my socks off. The lamb was "falling off the bone" tender, but I did break another of Mama's rules and sucked the last of the meat right off the bones. The menu I saw online mentioned that, for $9.00 more, I could get extra meat. Trust me when I say that is absolutely not necessary. They put plenty of meat on the plate to please this fat man.
My fellow guests ordered differently. Three of them ordered the chicken kebob sandwiches. I asked why they didn't at least go for the lamb kebob and got the impression that lamb did not sound appetizing to them. Two of the ladies ordered the gyro sandwiches, which in my eyes aren't even Moroccan. I am probably wrong. After all, I haven't been there. One of us ordered the Shrimp Peal Peal. It came in a tagine like my lamb did. The last person in the group had baklava cheesecake and an order of saffron rice. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals to the fullest. I did not see the usual to go boxes that we old retired folks are known for.
Several of us ordered desserts- most to go. Those who ate them in-house said they were good. I don't remember what anyone got but myself. They had two special Ramadan desserts. I got one of them. It is called Slilo. It is made from a roasted flour that is mixed with butter, honey, ground almonds, ground sesame, other ground nuts and spices. They had a huge bowl with a mound of it on the counter top. They take that and mold it into a cookie shape with an almond on it. It was so delicious. It was grainy and flavorful, but not too sweet. I loved it.
All of the staff was accommodating. They patiently answered all of our questions about the food and how it was prepared. The lady that I assume was the owner even took the time to tell me how to use the Moroccan spices that I bought for both my son and myself.
I can't think of anything negative to say about this place. It was roomy but cozy. It was super clean. The decor was definitely Moroccan themed, and the music that was playing was beautiful and exotic sounding. I guarantee that I will not let six years pass before going back. Believe me, I am going to dream about that lamb shank! read more