OK, so the other night, Johanna and I decided to take our respective kids out for a night of exploration and immersion into a different culture, namely, a dinner at Imane Moroccan Restaurant in Duluth, Ga.
The Imane Sampler featured zaalouk, hummus, baba ghannouj, rolled grape leaves and falafel.
Overall, I’d say the evening went as well as could be expected. The kids grizzled over having to try new foods they had never heard of before, along with the added bonus of embarrassing the boys (ages 8 and 11) by making them watch some belly dancing. Johanna and I, though, thoroughly enjoyed our meals, as well as watching the kids try to figure out just what they were experiencing.
I was told of Imane by the woman at the checkout at Kroger who deduced from the ingredients and spices I was buying that I was trying a Moroccan chicken recipe. I never had thought about it before, but working as a grocery store checker must allow for a day-long game of culinary Sherlock Holmes: “It’s elementary, Watson; chicken, cumin, cloves, fennel, coriander, lemon, cilantro, couscous, dried apricots and mint can only mean Moroccan chicken with apricot couscous.”
She said that if I liked Moroccan food, I should try Imane, adding that she was Egyptian and she often went there for comfort food.
That was a good-enough recommendation for me. So we rounded up the kids and went there on a Friday night that, according to the restaurant’s website, would also feature some belly dancing. I figured the kids would like to see this. Well, I figured the girls (ages 11 and 12) would like to see this. The boys, I knew, would want no part of it, which would make for good teasing material later.
The Rabat featured several grape-sized meatballs in a steaming bowl of sharmoula sauce & eggs.
When we walked in, the kids immediately knew they were in for something different, as the dining room was decorated with a North African flair, and smelled of burning incense and unfamiliar spices. We were seated at a low table, adorned with intricate carvings and other ornamentation, and the kids warily looked over the menu and, because they didn’t recognize anything, concluded there was nothing there for them to eat. Actually, the kids meals offered kefta (ground beef), chicken or beef brochettes (kabobs), and were served with French fries or rice. Half went for the beef, the others chicken, and despite themselves, were fascinated with the look of the place.
At other tables, there were large groups and families laughing and enjoying themselves. The only difference was that many of the women were wearing scarves over their heads.
I ordered the Imane Sampler ($10.99) and before they lost interest, told the kids they had to try—even if it was the smallest taste—each of the items on the table, which included zaalouk (grilled eggplant diced with tomatoes, cilantro & garlic), hummus (chick peas, garlic, lemon juice & tahini), baba ghannouj (eggplant, lemon juice, garlic & tahini), rolled grape leaves (rice, lemon juice & spices rolled in grape leaves) and falafel (chick peas, parsley, garlic, onion & spices with tahini sauce).
The Casablanca Mrozia was a lamb shank braised in Mrozia spices, raisins & honey, garnished with almonds and sesame seeds.
Oh, the faces they made!
The general consensus was that the pita bread—that was to used to try the different appetizers—was good, but they didn’t like any of the appetizers themselves, with the exception of the falafel, which was deemed OK, but a little too spicy.
For my part, I enjoyed it all, and really liked the grape leaves. Usually, I don’t like them; the ones I’ve had at Greek restaurants have been too sour or bitter or even chalky. But these I loved. And, luckily, no one else at the table wanted them, so they were all mine. I also ate most of the baba ghannouj.
When the main courses came, three-quarters of the kids actually liked and ate their brochettes, and if not for the French fries, the remaining quarter would have gone home starved. My boy, who is a rice fiend, loved the savory rice served at Imane.
Johanna ordered a dish of Rabat ($12.99)—beef meatballs with sharmoula sauce & eggs—for her entrée and when it was delivered, found several grape-sized meatballs in a steaming bowl. The red sharmoula sauce was so hot that it cooked two eggs right into the dish. The meatballs, the fluffy egg and the sauce combined to form a spicy, aromatic amalgamation that has to be tasted to be believed. Excellent.
The girl, taking an impromptu belly dancing lesson in the middle of dinner.
I ordered the Casablanca Mrozia ($16.99), which was a lamb shank braised in Mrozia spices, raisins & honey, garnished with almonds and sesame seeds. It was sweet and earthy, a beautiful combination that I would have never considered to marry. This lamb shank was much better than another one I sampled recently.
While we were in the middle of our meal, the floor show began. A woman dressed in blue came out to the music created by a one-man-band and a fancy electric keyboard, and began dancing. The girls were entranced, and the boys—once they figured out what was going on—suddenly found the carving on the table fascinating and determinedly avoided looking at the show.
My daughter, feeling the music, took up the offer to join the dancer, and had an impromptu belly dancing lesson right then and there.
So there you have it. Imane is the place to go to try some very good Moroccan food, experience a belly dancing show and embarrass your pre-teen boys. A pretty successful evening, if you ask me.
Imane Moroccan Restaurant
3455 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Duluth, Ga. 30096
678-638.7990
Post by and photos credited to Gregory Watkins.
