anotheranon | weekend of eating dangerously

Well, not completely. Moroccan food is actually pretty healthy, at least the veggie parts.

My friend from out of town had heard all kinds of good things about Marrakesh, a restaurant near the convention center. I'd never heard of it, and you'd miss if you didn't know the address - no signage and a red door opening a few inches off the ground. You have to knock before entering and step carefully so as not to trip on the frame.

The inside is a riot of color, and I'm not exaggerating! The main theme is flourescent orange and acid green, but the lighting is dim so it actually ends up being rather subtle, or at least as subtle as tiled mosaics can be :P

The dinner is a 7-course meal with little chance to alter the menu (there is a choice between lamb and beef kebabs), but it's so good and so abundant that you don't really need to; there's something for everyone!

The seating goes with the scenery - you're seated on a cushioned sort of banquette (I think that's the word I'm looking for) around a small table. You're expected to eat with your hands, so they bring around a decanter of warm water so you can wash, and give you a towel in case of spills.

All of the food was excellent (especially the bastila - again, a combination that shouldn't work, but does!), but they're really selling an "experience" - there's belly dancing, heated towels and the decanted water, music, the lot!

We were rather surprised to see all of the photos of celebrities and politicians who had visited over the years in a back hallway, some dating back to the 1960s or '70s. I don't know if they've been in the same location all this time but it seems that Marrakesh is an "institution" of sorts!

We talked and ate and drank mint tea and ate and made a mess and.. ate! It was difficult to chat over the music but we did anyway, and I think we all had a very good time, even though we were so stuffed we had to be rolled out the door!

I tried not to stay out too late, because I was attending the all-day party on Saturday. Even though I got a reasonable amount of sleep, I was still having food hangover and was forced (oh yes, suffer, suffer!) to drink multiple cups of coffee and scarf Oreos (I luuurve Oreos - cheap, nasty, bad in oh so many ways, can't eat just one!) to stay awake.

Regrettably this caffiene-overindulgence landed me with a headache halfway through the day, so I didn't have as much fun as I might have.

I did learn a good bit at the workshops though, and as ever was left with lots to think about.

There was vending and I treated myself to a small dagger. It's nothing unique or particularly sturdy; I imagine the hilt would chip if I used it for anything more intense than cutting bread! But damn, it looks good, and feels just right in my hand :)

Further details will be filtered - email privately if you're interested.

So now it's Monday again, and I'm carefully taking vitamins and eating low carb low fat and drinking gallons of water, etc. to make up for the excesses of the past couple of days.

Of course, the restaurant had one drawback - my back didn't like the low-set banquettes, so I've been a little sore. I'm going to do some exercises and take an Aleve, I think...