Marrakesh Express

Just read Dave's recent post where he mentions the Marrakesh restaurant.

Seattle also has a Marrakesh restaurant. It’s an independent place and as far as I know, not associated with the Southern California chain. We went there a few months back with Junior and the Princess. It was interesting and a lot of fun since I hadn’t eaten Moroccan food since I was in…well…Morocco.

The restaurant is located in the Belltown district of Seattle. We drove down and found a nearby parking lot. This being Seattle, we carefully stepped around the passed-out drunk sleeping under the pay station. He never woke up, so no problems or altercations. This was a good sign of the evening to come.

The place had a few low chairs along the outer walls, but mostly large pillows on the floor to sit on. Naturally the children grabbed the chairs and left us older folks with the lamer backs to sit on the pillows. In the long run this turned out for the best.

When everyone is seated, the staff brings a large ornate bowl and places it in the middle of the table. Everyone places their hands over the bowl while warm rose scented water is poured. Then warm towels are passed out for drying hands. This is actually a pretty good idea that all restaurants should adopt. You can never be sure about some diners (There are lots of non-hand washers out there, but then that’s another blog.)


Silverware is not used in Moroccan restaurants. Everyone uses their hands, so the above ritual is very important. We had lamb, chicken, olives, rice, bread, pastry, several beers and a bottle of wine (There is an advantage to having children that can drive!).

Belly dancing is the standard entertainment for a Moroccan restaurant, and this place was no exception. I was sitting on a pillow next to the main area where the dancers perform. The belly dancer performed a few dances and then offered to teach others how to do it. Fortunately a young girl in the audience volunteered and so we didn’t have to see any old folks try it (such as yours truly). As the dancer described it, the way to properly move the hips during a belly dance is to pretend your snuffing out a cigarette butt. She was right, it really does work.

We checked with our waiter, and found out it is indeed proper to tip the dancer. Annette, being the amazingly supportive wife she is, told me to get out a ten dollar bill and tip the dancer. Not one to argue, I did exactly that. As I attempted to place the bill in the dancer’s waistband, she said, “No, wait a minute, I have to earn this one.” She then performed a very nice up close and personal dance, after which I placed the bill in the proper location. I think Junior was sorry he grabbed the chair along the wall.