Fat in Omaha: Marrakech Gourmet
To profess my love for Marrakech after just one visit feels a little premature. Like proposing after just one date. Or cumming after just one minute. I need to feel this place out a little more, sample more of their affordable small plates, another rice-y, spicy tagine, and heck, maybe even a Moroccan panini. I can firmly vouch for the fruit and custard tart, which acted as a cool and delicately sweet palate cleanser after the piquant main course. And the Zaalouk (stewed eggplant ragu and pita appetizer) was the most refreshing and flavorful presentation of eggplant I’ve had in a while. We can’t forget the Lentil and Ginger Soup, a puree with texture and pleasant spices. In the Lamb Tagine, I appreciated that the “seasonal vegetables” were more than the routine red pepper and zucchini mix that usually turns up. Instead, it was a game of Name That Veggie, plus other stuff like dates and kumquats (I’m pretty sure). The New Zealand lamb (free range, natural) was falling off the bones. Plus it came in a cool clay pot.
Lamb Tagine-- Ask for a side of spicy sauce.
Amongst communal-style tables, and worn trinkets juxtaposed with the newness of the bar and floor tile, spices permeated the air, and they weren’t afraid to crank up the Afrobeat. The twenty or so visits to our table by the chef and server were borderline overbearing, and even with all of their doting, the appetizers and entrees were basically served together, so their timing might suck a bit. I would recommend dusting off a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from your cellar (you have one, right?) and heading in soon, as this is normally a BYOB. The Marrakech crew can handle the rest, making sure you’re pleasantly full.
Zaalouk-- Eggplant ragu and pita
Lentil and Ginger Puree
Fruit Tart-- Maybe you'll be lucky and score a slice for free like we did.
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Marrakech Gourmet • 504 N. 33rd Street (Just south of Cali Taco) • 402-502-0739 • Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (delivery available up to four miles)
