Tajine Restaurant Review - April 9, 2006 BunRabs Home Yummy Chow Home

Tajine
552 Jones St.
San Francisco, CA
415.440.1718

Fez Dispenser

What kind of rockin moron doesn't like more rockin food? Not me. When this Rabat needs food, I don't come up Casablanca.

Atmosphere:
It's small and funky. I like the orange walls and the booth made out of 2x4s. It's very casual. Cops, cabdrivers and locals.

Service:
People enter and look perplexed. There is a big chalkboard with the menu and what looks like a place to order, but there are set tables. The proprietor is asked multiple times a day whether you order at the counter or just have a seat. Either is fine. It's not fast food. It takes a little time but sip your tea and listen to people speaking French with the nice owner.

Chicken Bastilla ($5.50):
A discus covered in powdered sugar with a crisp fillo shell filled with eggy bits, chopped almonds, dark meat chicken and cinnamon. This sweet, savory appetizer is a pleasant and subtle mixture of textures and flavors.

Tajine Bakkri ($6.99):
Marshmallow sized chunks of beef float in a sea of faded peas and artichoke hearts. It could have used a stronger dose of preserved lemon to amp up the flavors. Although homey and filling, the peas felt like beef chunk packing material more than something I was savoring.

Mint tea ($2.50):
This is what draws me here.
An ornate metal tray comes with a teeny glass and pot of a blend of green tea and fresh spearmint and peppermint leaves. Normally, I don’t care for sweetened tea, but this mint laden, slightly sweetened beverage is lovely in it’s perfumey, subtle, comfort.
Don’t fill your little glass up to the top, just go about half way up so you don’t singe your fingers.

Dajaj Mqali ($6.99):
Thinly sliced preserved lemon, olives and chicken capped off with a handful of crispy French fries. The chicken was nicely cooked but needed a little spicing up.

Moroccan Bread (comes with entrees,
extra bread for $1.00):

Hot from the oven, this sesame seed covered round loaf is great for soaking up juices and pushing stray bits onto your fork. The loaves vary from day to day in the texture of the crumb, and in general, they could use a bit more salt, but they are always hot with a crunchy exterior.

 

One carrot out of four

This is not an eating destination. It’s a place to come and enjoy a pot of tea and have a homey (yet unusual) and filling meal.

 

"Okay"


Tajine Bathroom Rating


One teeny, barebones, unisex serviceable and reasonable stocked.

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