Looking for Morrocan restaurant in Houston

[tlegray]

Are there any Morrocan restaurants in Houston that you could recommend?

[zorra]

A quick check of www.b4-u-eat.com turns up one: Saffron Moroccan Cuisine, 2006 Lexington, [phone]. I never heard of it, but please go see what you think--and report back!

[tlegray]

I have heard of this one and most reviews say food is mediocre and service is terrible. Really was hoping someone here might have heard of a hidden gem.

May Saffron out but it's low on the list. Thanks anyway.

[zorra]

I seem to recall that for many years there was a popular place on lower Westheimer--the name escapes me at the moment--but I think it's been gone for a while. I guess Saffron is the only game in town.

[brucesw]

The Morroccan on lower Westheimer is now Dolce Vita Pizzeria Enoteca; the Chron dining guide only lists Saffron also.

[tlegray]

Thanks so much for trying y'all. I guess I will do without Morroccan while in Houston.

[sambamaster]

The old Marrakesh wasn't that great either, and they ran my credit card twice when I ate there 10 years ago.
Get a copy of Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Great Foods of Morocco and do it yourself. It's not that hard...I've even cooked for a Moroccan wedding! And my food is better than any of the Moroccan restaurants in this country I've been to. Give it a shot! Hell, the book is probably in the library.

[PPPPP]

I just saw a blurb in the Houston Press' Best Of about a Morrocan restaurant I'd never heard of.

---

Best Moroccan Restaurant

Casablanca Couscous & Grill

DETAILS
8261 Richmond
Houston
713-244-0502

In the same strip center as a Conoco gas station, on a block full of car repair shops and import stores, Casablanca hides behind a narrow wall of shiny windows, reflecting southwest Houston's grunge. But step inside, and the bleak atmosphere gives way to cheerful walls of tangerine and lime. This is probably Houston's best-kept Mediterranean secret -- a redoubt of conviviality where well-dressed Moroccans quaff shot glasses of mint tea, speak French around tile-inlaid tables and watch Arab-language television. But, just as important, Casablanca serves as a bastion of cooking good enough to make an Atlas grandma weep. Everything is fresh -- so fresh, in fact, that by late evening the cook often scratches half the dishes off the menu. Try the lamb tagine with saffron sauce ($6.99), in which a rich broth infuses a perfectly roasted lamb shank and an apron of potatoes, peas, black olives and caramelized onions. Other dishes faithfully incorporate traditional green olives, pickled lemon halves, manioc and yams. The moist couscous, infused with meat stock, butter and cumin, is excellent. Try it with a marinated meat or the delightful merguez, the best Moroccan sausage you'll find in the city.

[tlegray]

I just picked up the Houston Press Best of...issue. I'll have to check that out.

I'm also going to check out that cookbook

[badr]

me luna sounds spanish, it is, but has a dozen of moroccan dishes. the best i ever had.
check it out

[didyb]

We ate at Saffron last night (Feb-2009) and had a great evening. The food was sooo good and the service was fine. I got the Lamb Tagine- and couldn't have been happier-- the flavors were awesome.
As someone else mentioned- the tappas restuarnat Mi Luna (at least 2 greater Houston locations, if not more) does have some Morrocan dishes on their menu- and they are tasty.
So, not a lot of choices, but the 2 that I have tried have both been good to great.