I've waited two decades to dine at Washington, D.C.'s Marrakesh restaurant, 617 New York Ave NW, and tonight I had my chance. The mint tea at was quite good, as was the bellydancing (the least authentically Moroccan feature of the club). To our distress, however, the salad was bland (except the zaalouk was pretty good). The bread was stale. The bastilla was burnt. The chicken with lemon and olives was not made with preserved lemons. The chicken was dry and tasteless. The olives were an afterthought. And that was the best dish of the night. The lamb with prunes and almonds just tasted like lamb that had been boiled too long. And I swear, the couscous tasted as though it was boiled not steamed. The apples in our fruit basket still had the labels affixed. All in all, a high priced fiasco. Never again.
November 2007 Archives
The New York Times pushes Marrakesh tourism.
As the Bush Administration's puppet dictator Pervez Musharraf desperately seeks to cling to power by declaring martial law, we should all support the brave people of Pakistan who are resisting. Appropriately enough, on the forefront of the protesters seeking to restore the rule of law are Pakistan's lawyers, hundreds of whom have been rounded up, beaten, and jailed by the dictator's police force. The United States should not thoughtlessly continue to shovel aid into Pakistan's government while Musharraf runs amok.
The Morocco Foundation published an Intel press release describing Intel Chairman Craig Barrett's recent trip to Morocco to provide technical assistance and computer technology. Barrett pointed out that Intel's support for education in math and technology was not purely philanthropic, but also helped to develop technically literate workers and consumers who would contribute to Intel's business. As a podcast by Jason Lopez suggests, Barrett's visit raises the possibility that a country with 60 percent literacy for men and 40 percent for women can develop its human capital to the point that it can have a major impact in the modern technology marketplace.
Eatbees and My Marrakesh are finalists! Don't forget to vote.
