Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Lamb and Belly Dancing for Dinner at Sultan's Tent

Sometimes I have strange, indiscernible food cravings...and when I'm hungry, deciding where and what to eat becomes increasingly difficult as I get more hungry and agitated. Last week, I was craving something homey and simple, but didn't want Asian and didn't want to spend a ton. I'm not sure what inspired me to look up Sultan's Tent, but it's been at least 3 years since I've been. Lamb was suddenly calling my name! I took a quick look at the menu online and decided it was enticing enough...$39.99 for a 4 course meal.

We raced to the restaurant, as they don't seat once the belly dancing starts at 7pm. Yes, belly dancing! The main dining area is lined with intimate couch seating along the perimeter with a wooden dance area in the middle. We, unfortunately, were seated at a table in the "dancing" area. It made me fear just for a second I'd be forced to "participate." I had already decided what I wanted....but upon careful reading, I realized that certain items on the 4 course menu cost additional, and OF COURSE everything I wanted to eat cost more. sigh. So much for that $40 four course meal!

Course 1:
Duck Breast Salad and Beef Burgone - although both sounded great on the menu, they were only average. The beef burgone didn't look very exciting but it was very tasty. The duck was generally disappointing.

Course 2:
Trio of Hummus and Maftoul (hand rolled pastry stuffed with beef and topped with spicy aioli) - these were part of the 'base' men, since nothing really stood out to us, and in fact were great! The hummus was actually quite tasty (and filly) and the spring-roll-like pastry rolls were satisfying.

Course 3:
Braised Lamb - part of the base menu, and I'm sure is what I had the last time I was there. It is falling-off-the-bone good, served on a bed of couscous. It was exactly the kind of comfort meal I was looking for.
Seafood Royale - I can never turn down a seafood platter, particularly when served with rice in a saffron and fennel broth. In truth, it was pretty plain...tasty, but uninspired. It also cost an additional $10 to my meal and I wouldn't do it again.

Course 4:
Assorted Moroccan Treats and Brulee Royale - the Moroccan treats were surprisingly good, and the brulee was just average, a little too thick for my liking, but it was topped with pistachio, which was a nice touch. We also finished off with a delicious tea, which was really nice and enjoyable.

Our dinner at Sultan's Tent was decent for a relatively quick bite and something a little different. The belly dancer (yes, she did come out during our dinner!) was beautiful, and had some audience participation which I happily avoided (whew!). I recommend sticking to the "base" menu items - we found those were actually the best tasting, and the best value, particularly the lamb. Those items, I guess, are what they are best at!

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