Aziza

Well, I'm going to spoil the surprise and suspense of reading through this whole post and say that Aziza was (for us) a fantastic experience and we are unashamedly trying to find the appropriate time to go back. Dan went so far as to state that it was one of his favorite meals ever.

So, a little background. Coming from DC, we are used to taking advantage of Restaurant Week. It's a creation designed to increase tourism and get people into restaurants in the DC area. Restaurants provide 3 course prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner at a fraction of the price of what a 3 course meal would normally cost ($20 for lunch, $30 for dinner). Of course, with busier restaurants, and lower prices equalling lower tips, I don't think that this is a favorite time of year with restaurant staff. (Read - sometimes the service sucks) But, I love it anyway.

I was excited to find the SF equivalent of Restaurant Week called Dine About Town. It may even be better than Restaurant Week, as it lasts half a month, rather than a week (I've heard that in the past, it's been the entire month of January) When the list of prticipating restaurants were first posted, every food blog I read mentioned Aziza. I'm so excited to be going back...the reservations will go fast...etc. etc. I booked ours in early December for January 23.

By the time the 23rd rolled around, I was pretty darn worked up about it. Usually, the high expectations thing goes really badly. But, I'm happy to say that Aziza lived up to every one. When we arrived, our reservation was honored right away, which I really appreciate. They gave us Dine About Town menus along with the regular menus, which also earned them points. I was really excited to see that their DAT menu had about 8 options for appetizers, maybe 6 options for entree, and 4 for dessert. We've been places that give you no options at all, or only offer the least exciting or least expensive items off the menu. Aziza, however, really offered their best dishes. Oh, also, the inside of the restaurant is Moroccan themed - lots of deep rich colors, lots of fabric, lots of "stereotypical" decor. But it wasn't tacky, and there were certainly no belly dancers...thank goodness.

So...the food.
Appetizers: I ordered the meatball and grape skewers, and Dan ordered mushroom and cheese stuffed phyllo. Yum. For serious. The skewers may sound like a strange combo but it came together perfectly. The meatballs were tender and spicy and flavorful and mouthfuls of deliciousness. Combined with tart, cool grapes = wow. They came on a nice pile of jicama, which I couldn't get enough of. Also, I enjoyed saying jicama for the rest of the meal (hick-a-mah). Dan's stuffed phyllo came out warm and flaky, but wasn't what we expected when we bit into them. The mushrooms were chopped really fine, and the cheese wasn't overly flavorful - but when we got over ourselves, and our assumptions, they were very good. We also ordered a small side of flatbread which came out with the appetizer.

Entrees: I selfishly ordered the lamb. (Selfish because we have a policy to never order the same thing at a meal, and Dan loves lamb) The lamb was friggin amazing. Falling off the bone as it should be, marinated and cooked just right. It was so rich and delicious. It came with a side of barley which was a great compliment, bland enough to not overwhelm but still took on the overall flavor of the lamb, and three or four big spiced prunes. Immediately made me think of elderly folks and prune juice, but wow. Clearly the chef knows some things. Dan originally ordered the beef stew, which I had heard was divine, but they were out :( He ordered the chicken couscous which he didn't get a chance to regret at all, as he devoured it. The chicken was moist and tender, and the couscous was great. Portions were pretty big - we both had small amounts to take home for a small lunch treat the next day.

Desserts: If our two desserts would have had a fistfight, mine wouldn't even have gotten in a punch. He ordered the Orange blossom honey mousse, which was a pretty interesting looking creation of a mousse, with a foam on top, surrounded by fresh oranges and tiny little gelatin cubes. It sounds really strange, but honestly, it was amazing. We kept trying to describe it and coming up short until Dan realized that it tasted EXACTLY how honeysuckle smells. It was a "holy crap, how did the chef do this?!?" kind of moment. I had a chocolate custard, which was good, but not something I couldn't get anywhere else.

Drinks: They had a really creative cocktail list, many of which were based on fresh fruit. I had a gin, lime and cloves yumminess, and Dan had a kiwi, grapefruit and tequila concoction. Both were great, but I would definitely keep trying new things off their list when I go back.

Service: Really great. Lots of small touches that make you feel like they're trying to give you a good experience. Water (flavored with cucumbers) always topped off. Any food that is boxed up is held for you until the end of the meal. The only misstep of the meal with service was a really long wait between appetizers and entrees. While we did linger over appetizers because they were so good, which probably threw off some timing,the wait did get to be a little awkward.

They also get points for: "aziza showcases the abundance of organic produce & free-range meat, game & poultry from local farms & ranches that practice ecologically sound, slow & sustainable agriculture"

Summary: I ramble a lot. Aziza is really, really good.