Mmmm...Moroccan

When I’m not cooking, I usually enjoy the cuisine at various ethnic restaurants throughout the city. I’m worried that when I actually get a job, I’ll just spend all my money at these places. So far I’ve done pretty well: Hungarian, Japanese, Ethiopian, and Vietnamese.

The other day, my roommate offered to take me to “the restaurant of my choice.” He is from Egypt, so I suggested Arabic cuisine. There are two nationalities of food that fit that description in Calgary…Lebanese and Moroccan. Although I did base my choice largely on the location of the place, I must say that I chose the right one.

If you’re ever at 217 19th St NW in Calgary, do stop in at the Moroccan Castle. The ambience is great – cushions, drapery, bronze, music, and dim light. All that was missing was a camel, sand, and some peddlers. Talk about a great relaxation place. You could go in there stressed and come out as mellow as can be.

Oh, did I mention the food was good, too?  B’Stilla, a filo pastry pie with chicken, lamb, and almonds on the inside, sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon on the top. Lamb Tanjine, a mixture of potatoes, carrots, peas, olives, lemons, lamb, and gravy. Baklava, a filo pastry dessert with walnuts and honey. All washed down with a cup of hot mint tea.

It brought me back to the short time I spent in Morocco – drinking mint tea and coffee at every roadside stand we could find.

Overall, the Moroccan Castle gets 5 Stolen BBQs out of 5. It is a bit on the expensive side, so do make sure someone is paying for you if you go.