The Resident's Guide to LA: Tagine

As I pulled the brass opening on a foreign door, shadows from a Moorish lamp slowly decorated my tired skin. I sat down in a quaint restaurant staring at the reflection of my eyes, covered evenly with black kohl eyeliner, when I notices pictures of energized children playing soccer in an abandoned field in Marrakesh. Mesmerized by the beauty of Morocco, I waited patiently for my food with a hot glass of mint tea and the warm company of an old friend.

We were greeted with amuse bouche - a small welcome from the restaurant to cleanse our palates and prepare our taste buds for the journey to come. Warming our hungry tummies with carrot soup and vegetable spring rolls, we patiently savored the creamy texture of goat cheese and dates as we waited for the trip south from the Strait of Gibraltar to begin.

Our first course was nothing short of appetizing - half a lobster grilled to perfection with a side of harissa cream sauce. Ever so savory with a hint of spice, our crustacean sea farer was complemented with a zesty grilled zucchini stuffed with a cucumber onion salad. Following our coastal-inspired appetizer, we fully engaged in our main course devouring a roasted rack of lamb spice effortlessly with salt, pepper and cumin. Cooked with a Middle Eastern flair, the lamb marinated over a melange of root vegetables, making for a wonderful twist on traditional meat and potatoes. Travelling full circle, we sailed to dessert - chocolate soup poured over vanilla bean ice cream served with a delicate phyllo dough pastry. Sipping the remainder of my tea as I crunched on the nuts at the bottom of the bowl, my senses fully engaged back to reality...I was only one block away from work in bustling Los Angeles.

Dinner ($45)

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Amuse Bouche

goat cheese and dates, filo dough spring rolls, carrot soup