CASBAH

She says:
From the warm and sunny streets of historic downtown Savannah, you pass through a curtained door into a cool, dark restaurant. Once your eyes have adjusted to the dim light, you can see tapestries of red and gold lining the walls and ceiling, as if you’ve been transported into a sheik’s tent from the Arabian Nights. As Middle Eastern music blares, a scantily-clad belly-dancer gyrates her hips to the beat, beckoning with her finger for you to join her… Welcome to Casbah!

We went for the Moroccan food, but what we got at Casbah was far more than a meal… it was an entire evening of entertainment! From the waiter coming around to pour warm water over your upturned hands in preparation for cutlery-free eating to the woman who offers each table her henna tattoo services, Casbah goes out of its way to make dinner an authentic Moroccan experience. The belly dancers are the highlight, though. Not only do they dance provocatively around the restaurant, but they also encourage the patrons to get up and dance with them. Downtown Boy was, of course, the first to volunteer, and got a one-on-one lesson to much applause in the center of the restaurant.

He says:
Shaking your hips and making snake arms is much harder than it looks! The easy part is sitting down for dinner. For appetizers we started with two types of bastila, a savory stuffed philo dough pastry sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The Cornish hen version wasn’t very good, with the dry pieces of poultry crumbling apart from the onions, parsley, and almonds before I could even lift it from the plate. On the other hand, the vegetarian bastila was excellent. The broiled vegetables came together nicely, like the interior of a good samosa, and their spiciness contrasted pleasingly with the powdered sugar on top.

Casbah supposedly specializes in lamb, but I was disappointed in my spicy roasted lamb entrée. To be honest, the “tender leg of lamb” wasn’t very tender– I suspect it had been over-roasted – and it didn’t have the gaminess I expect of good lamb.

She says:
I ordered the Cornish hen with caramelized apricots. The baked poultry was mostly juicy, (I was thankful that eating with ones fingers was expected), and the apricots offered a nice contrast to the savoriness of the meat. The saffron rice that came on the side was delicious as well.

He says:
The philo dough “shrine” encasing coconut flakes, chocolate, and a touch of fruit jelly we ordered for dessert was a little too coconut-y for my tastes, but it provided a much needed sugar boost for a second round of hip-shaking!

We say:
Casbah’s food won’t dazzle you, but you’ll definitely have a great time at this Middle Eastern oasis.

(1 fork for the entertainment factor)


Casbah
118 East Broughton Street, Savannah, GA 31401
http://www.casbahrestaurant.com/