I really wanted to like this restaurant. I had heard SO much about it, and good Moroccan in a funky atmosphere is not exactly easy to find in Boston. But our experience last night left our party strangely dissatisfied and wondering what was up with this place. Valet service was friendly and attentive, but it all left off at the door. Although we had informed the restaurant we were bringing a birthday cake, there was a lot of confusion at the front desk -- the hostess was flustered and clearly put out that we asked them to deal with a cake. Not sure what the big deal was. Other restaurants do it all the time -- much more graciously and without the exorbitant $3 per slice cutting charge. After placing our cocktail order, we had an inexcusably long wait before receiving our drinks. The menu itself is well-varied and provided something for everyone. An appetizer of Sahara Shrimp was tasty enough but failed to deliver on the proffered spice. My husband ordered the Couscous Royal, which he enjoyed but thought the couscous itself was a bit dry. A half hour later, when we were nearly finished, the waiter arrived with the sauce for the couscous. We remarked that it was a bit too late, but he offered no real apology. l had the Crisp Lemon Chicken Tagine, which was delicious, but not crisp. Oddly, it comes with pommes frites, which were only average, and seemed ill-suited to the dish. But the strangest part of the evening came immediately after the cake, when the manager appeared, bill in hand, and said ""I understand that you would like the bill now."" In fact, we had not requested it. We did ask to move on to the hookah bar, but were abruptly informed it was completely full for the evening. The waiter did not offer tea or coffee, but brought the bill again, and at that point we decided just to leave. It all felt uncomfortable and disappointing. The atmosphere is great and the food is fine, but they need to up their overall game. In this economy, there is no excuse.
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