Dish Review

The interior, dimly lit and done up in somewhat homespun carpets and banquettes, is oddly comfy, even if there�s no hiding the fact that you�re seated in a darkened box. It�s a welcome surprise to visit a Moroccan restaurant that isn�t dressed to the nines in luxuriant tapestries and pillows. Sadly, the letdown comes with the appetizers, though things improve, relatively, with the entrees. The best is the least complicated: steamed vegetables over a bed of couscous. There�s nothing wrong with the tagine of chicken stewed with preserved lemons, or the lamb cooked in honey, apricots and prunes (the same cannot be said for the one dessert, a layered pudding that one night was alternately soggy and frozen.) The sense of missed opportunity dogs the cooking here�Baraka gives just a hint of the exotic and nuanced flavors of Moroccan food at its best. (Originally reviewed 10/5/05.)