Cuisine

Neighborhood

CUISINE: African, Brazilian, French, Moroccan
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lower East Side

Photo:Time Out NY

37 Canal St. at Ludlow St.

(p)212-777-7518

Walk in and prepare to get a serious once over from everyone in the place — bartenders and bus-boys included. If you return the favor, you'll see that mostly all of the gawkers are good-looking. 

Without a reservation, chances are you'll have to wait at the bar for a while, which isn't such a punishment considering the hot crowd.  However, space is tight. In fact, my only complaint about the restaurant is the extreme number of people they seat during peak periods. CONT'D

Over dinner on a Saturday evening, I was so close to my fellow diners that I felt obligated to introduce myself — a good move considering our elbows met every time she took a bite of couscous.  At one point, Frankie overheard the girl to his left exclaim: "I just want to get laid tonight!"  He introduced himself immediately. 

Despite the close quarters, the atmosphere charms, with its copper ceiling and African knickknacks. The menu, an African-Moroccan-Brazilian-French hybrid, offers plenty of hearty, flavorful dishes, as well as more composed, lighter plates. The lamb bourek appetizer —crispy filo stuffed with ground lamb and creamy goat cheese — impresses with both great flavor and texture.  For entrees, the Couscous Royale, a massive black bowl filled with couscous, stewed vegetables, chicken and homemade lamb sausage, is irresistible. We paired this with the Bozo-Bozo: potato-crusted pan-roasted seasonal fish in the sauce du jour. The salty, sauteed vegetables complemented a beautiful, modestly seasoned filet of mahi-mahi. The meal ends with complimentary apple-infused bourbon, making all those good-looking people look even better.

Posted in FOOD on February 22, 2010 10:59am by Jena Steinbach | 23 comments

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We are young (early 20's) and hungry (for knowledge! music! art! food!) friends living on (or in areas which border) Manhattan. We moved to the city seeking higher education, and an alternative to frat parties and gin buckets. We prefer a bottle of Chianti to a keg, lunches at City Bakery to a dining hall, Joe's to Starbucks, Frankie's Amatriciana to Batali's. Our uniting factor is our love for food. For detailed, personal information, keep reading.
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