Baboush

I don't usually do restaurant reviews but this one was too good not to tell you about.  It's Baboush, in the West Village, and it is crazy good Moroccan food.  As a starter, we had hummus and babaganous (eggplant) with soft, velvety pita bread and I could have made those dinner.  (The servings are very generous so we ended up bringing some home.)  I'll usually walk miles to avoid any type of eggplant, but their's was out of this world.

Next, we could have had small plates but decided since we'd never had anything cooked in a tangine it was simply high time we tried it.  I went with the Fez chicken with olives and preserved lemons, and Fred had Chicken Teffaya with cinnamon, raisins, honey, and chickpeas and while his was OK, it did not rock my taste buds.  I liked mine best and he agreed, so now I'm looking for a tangine.  Never mind you can cook the same thing in a dutch oven....I. Don't. Want. To.

Last, he ordered a chocolate ganache' slab of something for dessert and I had the mint tea.  The tea came in a tiny silver teapot with two small blue glasses etched with gold, and was both sweet and minty.  Short of going outside to smoke one of their hookas, I felt as close to Morocco as one possibly can in the West Village.  The service was outstanding (Rocco is darling) and if you go on a weekend, be sure to make a reservation or you'll be sitting outside under the standing heaters, with the hooka smokers.  When it warms up, outside might be perfect.  Below is a shot of their usually oh, so busy bar.