noche de chicas

I was wishing for Friday two days ago, and it didn't help that a friendly co-worker found a deal on miniature drumsticks at Walgreens...

"chocolatey" is a word!

afternoon break is looking really good

Between the ball game on Wednesday and all this great weather we've been having, it was difficult to sit still - especially because I couldn't wait to dine at Aziza!

This Moroccan-with-a-dash-of-Californian eatery consistently makes top places lists around town for being the best Moroccan place to go in San Francisco... well how many Moroccan places do you know? This is maybe the only one that's not in some seedy bit between the Tenderloin and Union Square, and doesn't feature belly-dancing distractions.

I remember taking Mumsy here for her birthday a few years ago... my mom fell in love with everything, from the cucumbers in the water to the meatballs skewered with roasted grapes. In fact, the meatballs and grapes dish is one of her favorites to recreate! Even better was that after the sublime meal, we returned home to see the executive chef Mourad Lahlou defeat Cat Cora on Iron Chef America! We were smitten!

The second time I took my family there, the food was still top-notch but the service was slower than the N-Judah leaving Duboce Triangle. We waited half an hour just to get our drinks, and the food took longer still. It was so bad that the waiter acknowledged the delay and apologized profusely... perhaps the food tasted even better because we were so hungry?

So it had been quite a while since I had last visited Aziza but I was determined to show my friends this neighborhood gem. We settled down and the drinks came relatively quickly... it was quite a dilemma to choose what to eat as everything sounded delicious as usual.

these drinks came in small glasses, much smaller than I would've liked.
But my tarragon-cardamom-cachaça drink (center) was quite the potent potion so I probably didn't need a bigger size

I swear that the portions used to be much larger... I remember the spreads squiggling down to touch the flatbread.

spreads with flatbread...
L to R: piquillo-almond (slightly sweet,) yogurt (tangy,) & paprika-white bean (savory.)
Cabbage loved the savory spread.

Dinner!

halibut crusted with sea urchin... this sea urchin must've been a couch potato because it tasted like cheddar cheese!

braised short ribs... very tender

lamb shank... no knife required when the meat falls off at the touch of your fork and melts in your mouth

I was a bit disappointed in what seemed to be a big downsize from the portions I had enjoyed in past visits, so I had to order another appetizer... one that I would've ordered anyways once I remembered!

meatballs with roasted grapes, sittin' pretty in a bed of jicama

I always save room for dessert!

strawberries with goat cheese cream and hazelnut-bourbon ice cream chillin' on a bed of pralines

On the plus side, Aziza has added these adorable little after-dinner sweets!

choco-bits that seem to have a taste of toffee... someone just couldn't wait!

Overall, this place is still unarguably tasty but be prepared for the seemingly smaller portions.

Also, this visit completes my cycle through the three dining rooms in Aziza... I personally think the best is the small one between the bar and the bathroom because it really feels like you're eating under the stars. The back room - the locale for my most recent visit - is nice because of the banquettes and the golden glow of the huge window. The front dining room might be nice if you can get one of the booths draped in sheer swathes of silkiness but I've always gotten a table smack dab in the middle of the room. The ambiance in the front is ruined everytime someone opens the blue-tinted door and lets in a whiff of Geary Boulevard.

Worked off our dinner by bowling at Yerba Buena Center... no boys, no competition, and no rush... just laughing and screaming and hurling the balls as hard as we could towards those pins.