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| - we went here because we had a groupon, and i'm glad. i would've been a little disappointed if i'd had to pay full price for this meal - little errors that would be excusable at my favorite corner joint are amplified when i'm plopping down $20+ per entree.
for starters, the complimentary bread we were served was cold, and tasted like it was off the day-old table at a bakery. i know, i know, gift horses, but serving mediocre food at a pricey restaurant actually detracts from the experience.
my hopes were restored by our appetizer, the mo' rockin' shrimp. the sauce was delicious - i'm not super familiar with moroccan cuisine, but it tasted vaguely mediterranean with a hint of the individual elements in chinese five-spice. the dough balls were an interesting touch - i wasn't a huge fan, but my date thought they cleaned the palate wonderfully, preparing the mouth for more delicious shrimp. the shrimp itself was perfectly cooked, too, and tasted fresh, which is a rarity out here, even at nice places.
when our food arrived, i was again disappointed. i got the burger and fries - apparently, eddie's favorite dish. the fries were off the charts - really good. the burger meat itself was adequately cooked and seasoned. the bun was good. the problem was the combination of all the elements - the sandwich ended up being less than the sum of its parts.
for starters, the bun was significantly bigger than the burger. combined with the chewiness of the ciabatta, it made eating the burger awkward. half of a good burger experience comes from the visceral pleasure of tearing into a patty perfectly enveloped by soft bread, right? also, the sandwich also lacked any sauce, which was interesting - i never realized before how dry hambuger meat is vastly improved by the moistness of ketchup or mustard. i asked for some mustard, but it didn't quite go with the seasoning of the patty.
so, the burger was ok, but not anywhere near the fancy burgers i've had in the past.
our other entree was the seared salmon with strawberry escabeche, which was served on a bed of orzo. the orzo was delicious, and the salmon was perfectly seared. the only problem - the strawberry escabeche was just weird.
i'm all for sweet-savory combos, but the strawberry was downright cloying - overpowering. good salmon is much too subtle to be paired with a sweetness of dessert proportions.
atmospherically, the place is great for groups - not exactly romantic.
we probably won't be going back - i don't think it is worth the price. on the other hand, i could see taking the grandparents here for a nicer meal that won't be too creative for blander flavor profiles, but isn't totally boring.
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