Marakesh Restaurant, Parsippany, NJ

We took some friends for a bit of a different dining experience, this time at Marakesh Restaurant in Parsippany. Marakesh is located in a small strip mall right on Route 46 eastbound next to a school uniform shop! Despite its weird location, once inside you would never imagine that you were located in a strip mall on a somewhat major roadway...or even in New Jersey.

Step inside and you feel instantly transported to Morocco via lush fabrics, dim lighting behind jeweled sconces, and waiters in traditional garb. Stay a little later, and around 9:00 p.m., the music changes and a belly dancer trapses out and shakes what her momma gave her. Audience participation is a must, so if you're shy, sit on the inside or else you'll find yourself shaking what YOUR momma gave YOU!

Lush couches with comfy pillows surround several ornate copper tables around the room. The feeling is romantic but family style. I instantly feel relaxed, like I could sit back and put my feet up. The waiter brought our menus and I took one look at the Sultan's Table and decided that I wanted to try the eight course meal. A friend agreed, and our significant others went in their own direction with their own entrees. Fine with us! For our shared entree, we went with the baby lamb tagine with couscous.

Each course was absolutely delectable. Before starting, a waiter comes over with a silver basin of sorts, and pours rose water over your hands to wash them before eating. Utensils are optional here since tradition in Morocco states that you eat with your right hand. We were down with that, but you definitely need your fork and spoon to eat the rest of your meal. Once our hands were cleansed, we were presented with the beginnings of our Sultan's table. First was the salad and the mixed cold appetizer, which included baba ganoush, hummus, and tabboule. Each was out of this world. The salad was heavy on the cilantro, with lettuce, tomato, and who knows what else! It was so enjoyable that I ate the other part of someone else's salad! The hummus, baba ganoush, and tabboule each were flavorful in their own right. One of the other diners got dolmas, which were also perfect. Next came the chicken bastilla; phyllo "pie" filled with spiced chicken topped with confectioner's sugar! It was like eating chicken stuffed french toast! After that came our soup with lentils and chickpeas...another hit. I don't know what the utensil was called that we were eating with, but it made the experience all the more fun.

By the time our entree came, I was feeling pretty full but didn't care. When that baby lamb tagine came out with the fragrant couscous, I was ready to dig in. The lamb was so tender it was falling off the bone...add some fruity couscous to the mixture and I was in h-e-a-v-e-n...my friend and I polished off half the dish together and took the rest home. The other diners raved about their meals...chicken shish kebab and baby lamb chops. I tried the chicken and veggies it came with and was equally impressed by the smoky spiced flavor...every now and then you get a hint of cinnamon which evens it all out.

Our meal was finished off with a flaky nutty pastry topped off with a dollop of creme fraise alongside cantaloupe and watermelon wedges. Add that to the jasmine/mint tea they served...it was all such a wonderful experience that I immediately began to think of all the people I could bring here to enjoy this with.

The Sultan's table is highly recommended if you're new to Moroccan cuisine and want to try a little bit of everything...it's a bit steep at $36/person but well worth it! Other a la carte entrees are reasonably priced and won't put too much of a dent in your wallet. For an instant transport to Morocco, it's much more reasonable than the airfare!

Ambience: *****
Service: *****
Food: *****
Overall: *****