Most of us subsist on snacking at Vittles, giving in to Leo’s and calling Domino’s. Without extra time or money, food is just a matter of convenience, not entertainment. With great ambiance, seven courses and a belly dancer, Marrakesh, the District’s premiere Moroccan restaurant, has been proving for decades that the key to great eating is making a meal an event.
With only “Marrakesh” painted plainly in green Arabic script, the simplicity of the ochre-colored front misleads the unknowing passerby. Once you knock on and step through the small brass door, however, you instantly see the decoration inside. The vestibule features a deep blue and maroon star-patterned tile wall with three running faucets, photos with celebrities, and an intricate, multicolored, painted ceiling.
As a server dressed in traditional garb brushes a curtain aside, you enter the rectangular dining area, dimly lit but brimming with gold, crimson and navy. There are no windows; instead richly woven rugs, musical instruments and old-fashioned weapons hang on the walls. The server seats you on a low couch, covered in red rugs and thick pillows and next to a small round wooden table.
Before the first of the seven courses, you wash your hands with heated water poured from a kettle. The second course stands out for its uniquely flavorful combination of chicken, egg and almond wrapped in a filo dough and topped with powdered sugar.
The courses are preset, with a $27 price for each guest. Ultimately, the fixed meal allows you to take in the atmosphere rather than burying your nose in a menu, and forces you to try combinations you wouldn’t have been adventurous enough to order.
While several of these set courses include meat, there are equally set alternatives for vegetarians such as myself. Chicken is left out of the filo dough-powdered sugar course, and others offer a spinach pie, meatless grape leaves, and a very grainy hummus as substitutes for meat.
Near the fifth course, the lights go out, “Happy Birthday” blares, and servers rush out with Shirley Temples, wine, and sparklers stuck in baklava. To add to the festivities, they erect a table, and a belly dancer decked in purple and gold, gyrates for four or five songs.
The meal finishes with intensely sweetened mint tea, poured into the small glasses at arms length in waterfall-fashion. Before you head out, make sure you have seen the photos of dining celebrities and public figures, including Elton John, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bob Dole, lining the hall near the restrooms And when you do emerge and find yourself in the cold on New York Avenue, don’t be surprised if three hours have passed without you knowing it. The experience of dining at Marrakesh is just that captivating.
Marrakesh is located at 617 New York Ave. N.W. Reservations are require—call (202) 393-9393.
