Marilu F.
Yelp
Once in awhile, something so unique comes around that you have no choice but to try it. This was the case with Dar Tajine.
Dar Tajine, point blank, is special. It's the only one of its kind down in South Florida. It's been around for several years now and it proudly serves Moroccan food.
Having never been to Morocco, I have no idea how authentic their food really is. My companion on this foodie adventure, though, has been and he said it lined up pretty well. We're already planning a return visit.
That being said, because I don't know a lot about this culture, I do have to ask myself what is typical. Yes, the food is one matter, but I want to express my thoughts on the service first.
America has this whole "the customer is always right" mentality, so maybe I'm thinking of it in terms of being American. Keeping that in mind, I will tell you that the service annoyed me beyond belief.
The first strike was when I called them on the Wednesday before our dinner. They say they open close to noon. Well, it took three calls before I even received an answer. I called them near opening time, about an hour later, and finally around 5 PM. It was that last one where I spoke to an employee and was suggested heavily to make a reservation for Saturday, so I did. Party of two for 7 PM Saturday night.
Then Saturday arrives and we are running behind schedule. I get asked if there is any possibility of pushing the reservation to 8 PM. Sure, no problem, I'll call. Well, I called and called and called... *crickets chirp* We wound up rushing over as I couldn't get anyone on the phone and we really wanted to go to this restaurant. Strike two.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, I am downright floored because the majority of the tables had paper slips with the names of the reservations. Yet almost all the tables were empty. Even later as the crowd came in, I couldn't understand how if they had an empty restaurant, no one could pick up the phone. The entire time we were there only once was the phone picked up, and at least being at the restaurant, I could see why. They're severely understaffed and it took forever to get anything. Strike three.
Despite these shortcomings, I'm a fan. The food was unlike anything else I've ever had. To begin with, they don't sell alcohol, so it's either water or soda. You can have coffee or tea, too, but that tends to be best for later on in the meal. A note on the menu - they have a paper there saying prices are subject to change. I guess they are waiting for new menus to come in.
As far as food goes, he ordered the royal couscous, which is lamb shank with Merguez (a type of sausage made with ground meat and Moroccan spices) with veggies on top of a bed of couscous served in warm seasoned broth. I don't like lamb in general, but I sampled it. It was tender and flavorful. The sausage, too, followed suit. It was a dish that was doused in diverse meat and so much seasonings that somehow worked in unison. My companion loved it. I found myself heavily wishing I liked red meat more.
Because of the aforementioned, when I saw the half chicken tajine, I knew that was the plate for me. All the tajines brought a salad (a decent one, too) and your choice of rice or pita bread. I chose rice which came to me in a fluffy yellow color that was both pleasing to the eye and to the palette. The actual chicken meanwhile came with green olives and preserved lemon. I feel the olives could've been cooked more but nevertheless paired well with the chicken and lemon. The chicken had some parts where there was too much bone and also a tad of dryness, but the sauce it came with rectified this problem and just made me curse the cut of the chicken. I think they need to get rid of all these unnecessary bones.
The sauce of the half chicken tajine meanwhile was so great that my companion kept grabbing bites of my dish. Hey, better for me: sharing is caring. That and I was already eyeing the desserts. Here the desserts are an assortment, and when you ask for dessert, you get brought to you at least four cookies made out of flour and nuts. There is sadly no chocolate, but you won't miss it. The cookies are grand, especially as they're heavy and tend to be had with either coffee or tea.
We had our dessert with a medium mint tea. It came in a beautiful teapot and they poured it in front of us. I wish I had had the foresight to capture it on video because it was magical. The mint tea, too, was a rich and warm color, and drinking it, I will tell you I was reluctant to do so. I don't favor mint tea typically, but this one might have converted me. It may perhaps be all the sugar, but who knows? It's a winner.
When everything's said and done, I honestly find myself debating between three or four stars. This should be an easy four stars, but the grievances put me in quite a mood. Still, given that we would delightfully go back, I think that says everything. Four stars but barely. Hoping next time they have their kinks worked out!