Cuisine type: Moroccan
Atmosphere: exotic dining, themed setting
Meal: late dinner
Price range: $10/appetizer, $18.50/entree, $15 for wine tasting
Overall grade: 8.8
Ben
I saw an ad in Mercury News for $15 tasting of 5 wines from around the world and an appetizer. We started with about 2 oz each of 3 red wines and 2 whites, served with nuts and an assortment of cheeses. The atmosphere is very pleasant - cozy, dimly lit, and well decorated with moroccan artwork, and a very social environment. The service was prompt and friendly, and the cheese (camembert, smoked gouda, blue cheese and chevre with cumin) and wine (see above) were pretty generous and a fun experience. We were still hungry so we ended up ordering Briwatts (stuffed fillo dough, 3 stuffed with crabs and 3 with vegetables) and a white fish (tilapia) tagine. The briwatts were fantastic and the tagine had a flavorful paprika sauce though the portion was small for an entrée and the fish was somewhat bland. We found a surprise on the menu that if you “check-in” on facebook you get either a wine taste or a starter dish, so we continued the night as we both checked in on our phones. The starter dish was a beet and potatoes dish but the wine tasting was a pleasant surprise, opening a new bordeaux wine and shiraz. Overall the experience was great, the menu looks very good and I would recommend the lamb / beef tagines, as they looked much better than the “white fish” we selected.
Food 8
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 9
Value 7
Nina
On a whim, we decided to forego cooking on a Thursday night and head out for dinner, especially since it was one of those unique days when we both got home from work while the sun was still up. Ben had found reference to this Moroccan restaurant in the local San Jose newspaper, which was tempting in and of itself since we hadn't eaten this type of cuisine for a while. To make it more interesting, they have a wine tasting special once a month which fell on that same day.
We walked to the restaurant form the San Jose MLK Jr library, and realized we had walked by this place before, which goes to show you may pass by true gems without knowing what's hidden behind the street facade. The restaurant has a wonderful welcoming atmosphere. We were greeted at the door by someone who seemed to be an owner, then were lead to a table and presented the specials and menu options. The ceiling was draped with a sort of canvas which created the impression of sitting inside of a giant tent. That, along with the dim lights highlighting decorations along the walls and the carved sun and moon niches above the kitchen created a very genuine exotic atmosphere.
Their wine special included five types of wine and an appetizer - we went for the cheese sampler, of course :) I started on the first wine - a Moroccan Chardonnay from the Beni M'Tir wine region, while I enjoyed the Camembert, smoked gouda, blue cheese and goat cheese rolled in cumin platter. The plating choice for this selection was interesting, they essentially layered mixed nuts on the bottom and laid the cheese right on top, which actually paired the flavors very harmoniously.
The next wine, a Portugese Vinho Verde, was naturally slightly carbonated and had a pleasant acidity which paired great with the heavier briwatts. We chose two flavors for these triangular Moroccan eggrolls - vegetable and crab. The spice level was gerat, with enough of a bite to delight the palate but mild enough to allow us to taste the rest of the meal fully.
A final appetizer plate was a potato and beet salad with garlic and spices - considering how bland beets often are, this was a really great surprise. Flavorful and light, it paired really well with my third wine - a Geurrouane red blend from Morocco.
After all this early meal delight, we decided it would be too much to get an entree each, so we opted to share a white fish tagine. The fish was tender, though I was slightly disappointed that it was a tilapia filet - I was hoping for something a little more exciting. That being said, the sauce was rich and light at the same time, and the veggies just perfectly cooked - not too crunchy, not too soft. What made it even better was enjoying it alongside the fourth wine from the tasting sequence - a California aged Syrah.
Last but certainly not least, we ordered the dessert that our waiter enthusiastically described as "heaven in your mouth" - a white chocolate and strawberry birwatt. It was sweet, but not overbearingly so, and worked well with the final glass of wine in front of me - the Chile Casillero Del Diablo Carmenere wine.
This meal turned from a quick escape to quite the feast, but this restaurant definitely impressed me. The decor really carried it us to a new and exotic locale, the service was warm and welcoming and the food brought on a unique set of flavors. It's definitely a great place for a romantic dinner date in the dimmed lighting, but also for a get-together with friends sharing good food and a few bottles of wine.
Food 9
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 8
Value 9
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