Thursday, December 9, 2010

Moroccan Experience

Now to anyone that knows me knows I have a passion for a food experience- when the culture, art, and food are fused together in one delicious and breathtaking moment in time. This was definitely one of them...

I have been wanting to go to Imperial Fez for the past 4 years now, but never had the opportunity to go. Well after a grueling day at work I kidnapped my younger half, Ana, and we headed to Casablanca, Morocco... via Peachtree Street.

Once we walked in we were welcomed by foreign music, smells, and decor. The ceilings were draped in billowing silk and the floors were covered in authentic Moroccan rugs (Ana would be the one to think of it as being a fire hazard. I told her to shut up and enjoy the moment).

With it being colder than cold outside, we opted to skip straight to the "dessert". The hot mint tea is WONDERFUL (so wonderful I had to youtube it to find out how to make it at home) and opened the nasal passages of my congested bestie. It is traditionally an after dinner drink or a nice treat during the day in Moroccan culture, but hey... it was cold, we couldn't wait.

You can choose your meals a variety of ways;
  • A la Carte- choose whatever you would like off the menu
  • 2 course- Lentil Soup and your choice of Entree
  • 3 course- Lentil Soup, Moroccan Salad, and your choice of Entree
  • 5 course- Lentil Soup, Moroccan Salad, Appetizer, your choice of Entree, dessert and hot mint tea
Also on Wednesday (the night we went) was "The Night of Fire" where the belly dancers incorporate flaming swords and other traditional fire dances for your viewing pleasure.



So let's get to it;

1st course- Lentil Soup
The spoon is absent because you drink it right out of the bowl. Lentils are a type of bean so don't freak out, lol, just think of it as an awesome chili soup. Great flavor and texture, wanted to know how I could get a "Western" portion, lol! And for all you bread lovers, oh yes, the bread it delicious! I think you can see the butter on it in the picture!

2nd Course- Salad
Now there are a lot of components to this salad. On the left you have an eggplant based... I don't know what you would call it, but it was really good and the eggplant was a great texture and seasoned well. At the top on the salad dish are sweet and sour carrots- or should we call them sweet & awesome! The fresh carrots were sliced, cooked, and coated in a sweet and sour heavenly sauce that had a slow simmer burn a spicy to follow up the sweetness. Have no idea how they did it, but it was awesome. To the right is a zucchini and tomato base... thing. Wasn't to my liking, tomato actually tasted like tomato paste... maybe its just me...
Of course the middle is just lettuce, onions, and olives with a simple oil and vinegar drizzle that went well when you combined the side... things (sorry, I have to find out the name of it!) with the salad. Now to the left of the  salad dish is a BAD sauce (In a good way). Don't try it unless you are the ultimate spicy lover because it will sear your tongue off. No, really... you won't taste anything for weeks. At the top was a pleasant surprise- the sweet and sour carrots were julienned and raisins and pineapples were added. That face you just made (O_0) yeah, we were looking like that too, but when you taste it, it is NOTHING like what you would have imagined. Its like a flavor explosion in your mouth and your brain gets all confused and you feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The carrots are sweet and tangy and the little hint of heat is met with the pineapple and the raisins add this extra amazing level of flavor. Oh its good, believe me!

3rd Course- Entree
Roasted Lamb Shank
Isn't it glorious? You see the fork? Yeah, I was about to devour it before I even got a picture taken for you guys! As soon as the fork touch the meat, it slid off the bone. Mmmm... It was moist, well seasoned, and was actually not spicy for all you non-spice heads out there. Hands down the best lamb I have ever had.

Chicken Kabobs
The chicken melted in your mouth it was so moist, ridiculous! The Moroccan take on mash potatoes were light and creamy along with perfectly cooked couscous, and roasted corn on the cob. This plate was definitely a 10! It was also accompanied by a side of fire grilled squash and peppers that was pretty awesome on its own.

Imperial Fez is an experience that is hard to describe in words. You seem to lose a sense of time and place... until you walk outside and your greeted by Lady Gaga bumping from the club next door, lol! You just have to go there and experience it for yourself!
2285 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta GA, GA 30309

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Best BBQ in ATL?

SO I visited Daddy D's BBQ Joynt Saturday before the Auburn/ SC game (sorry SC fans, LOL!) because what goes better with Football than BBQ... maybe hot wings... but that's besides the point.
We were only there all of two minutes before we were told to "Just sit down wherever". Okay, I like choices so we sat right up on the kitchen and the big screen tv. The decor is definitely sports and blues based and was a quaint and pretty cool step back into time when shacks were the neighborhood juke joints. The server brought us ribs right off the grill for us to sample (LOVE FREE FOOD! Especially when I'm starving, so cudos for that).

Ribs with Collard Greens & Macaroni and Cheese

I know some of ya'll are going to have a heart attack, but I rate these ribs as a 7 out of 10. I know, I know, they have won numerous acknowledgements as "Best BBQ in Atlanta" from all the right people (aka Zagat, Creative Loafing, AJC) but they definitely weren't the best I have tasted in Atlanta. They seemed to be missing seasoning of the actual meat and seemed like most of the focus was on the sauce. Don't get me wrong, I am def a BBQ sauce lover, but true BBQ highlights that quality and seasoned/smokey flavor of the meat and the sauce is, well, an added bonus. Now the sauce was thick and tangy and was actually really good!
Now the collards had a funky after taste and I could not put my finger on it. Definitely was not cooked with bacon or hamhock for flavor. Wouldn't try those again.
The macaroni and cheese was subpar. Nothing special, definitely not cheesetastic (copywritten phrase, do not steal!)

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Candied Yams & Macaroni and Cheese

The pulled pork sandwich was moist and def couldn't be eaten by hand! I asked for Hot (spicy) BBQ sauce, but it wasn't hot at all. Maybe they forgot and put regular BBQ?
Now the candied yams were AWESOME! The best traditional made candied yams I have found in a restaurant. Definitely worth trying!

Overall, I thought that Daddy D's was a good rib joint but there are definitely better rib joints around the metro. Go exploring for yourselves! But first go to Daddy D's and experience an Atlanta staple.