The North African cooking vessel known as the tagine is a culinary marvel.
Traditionally made of decoratively glazed clay with a circular base and conical top, it can go from oven to table with aplomb. Its shape encourages moist and even cooking, and the varied dishes that emerge take on the same name as the device itself: tagine. Moroccan cuisine wouldn't be the same without it.
At Golden Meals Moroccan & Mediterranean Grill, five tagines — including one with couscous, another North African staple — anchor a menu that's otherwise similar to that of almost any other Eastern Mediterranean or Aegean restaurant: shawarmas, gyros, kofta kababs abound. We would be happy to return for these another time.
However, for purposes of this review, it's about being mas Moroccan and menos all-purpose Mediterranean.
A good place to start when it comes to Golden Meals' Moroccan offerings is zaalouk, often referred to as a "cooked salad" similar to baba gannouj. In this case, the essential eggplant is grilled, giving the dip-like dish with tomato, abundant garlic and parsley an appealing charred edge. Pliant flatbread for scooping will keep coming if you ask for it — and maybe even if you don't. An unbidden, but also welcome, Saudi salsa of garlic, lemon and jalapeño also made an appearance.
A little thematic cheating followed with an order of chickpea falafel — just to how the Middle Eastern standard differed from that available in other local eateries. Formed into diminutive donuts and deep fried, Golden Meals' version packed enough parsley to give the interior a fresh, green contrast to the crunchy crust. Though it comes accompanied by an actual salad's worth of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, the zaalouk and the garlic sauce made even better bedfellows.
Then it was tagine time. From a selection that also included chicken and shrimp components, lamb shank and Moroccan beef meatballs seemed a good pairing. Both dishes arrived at the table still capped, the tops to be removed with a flourish that allowed the trapped aromas to escape and cast their spell.
The dramatic ritual provides a rush sensory stimulation. The compact and delicately flavored meat balls, for their part, floated in a rustic, red tomato sauce that was just spicy enough — and definitely worth sopping up with the spongy "French" bread we were told was a stand-in for the traditional Moroccan version.
The sauce in the lamb shank tagine wasn't of the sopping sort. For this, bring on more flat bread. Impressive, whole, and slip-from-the-bone tender as it was, the shank didn't mingle with its companions as much as the lamb would in recipes calling for chunks of the meat. Yet, who's complaining? There were sugary prunes, buttery fried almonds, silky onions and more to keep the palate occupied. Fragrant mint tea, ceremoniously poured from high above the glass, seemed perfect as a partner.
Harira, another classic Moroccan dish gracing the menu, is a thick and hearty soup traditionally used to break the fast of Ramadan. The soup also serves as a bridge between Golden Meals' two mom-and-pop operations — mom's brick and mortar restaurant, located just off of Wurzbach Road behind Tommy's Restaurant, and pop's food truck next to a Texaco on Broadway at Mahncke Park.
While the tagines are only served at mom's outpost, harira — along with much of the gyro, shawarma, kebab menu — is available at both locations. I picked mine up at the truck where it doesn't come with dates and lemon, but is packed with al-dente chickpeas, lentil and slivers of beef, not to mention bits of vermicelli that act as a thickener. Think fideo loco, and give it a try while winter's still with us.
At the truck, I had wanted to try another dish that seemed unique to Golden, namely hummus with a topping of sautéed ground beef. Since beef was missing in action that day, I took the offered substitute of strips of lamby gyro meat. Though the smooth hummus and mild meat were both good in their own right, the combo didn't do much for me — even tucked into the accompanying flat bread.
A slice of harissa, however, will send you out with a bang — though not quite the bang it would if the North African hot sauce of the same name were a part of the preparation. As made with variations all over the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, this is a moist and cornbread-like cake of semolina flour that's soaked in syrup and topped with pristine, whole almonds. There was just a hint of something floral — maybe orange blossom water, if I'm not trying too hard to make something delightfully simple more complicated. It wouldn't be the first time.
Golden Meals Moroccan & Mediterranean Grill
4326 Gardendale, Suite 102, (210) 507-22024
Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
Price range: $8.99-$20./99
The lowdown: Golden Meals specializes in traditional Moroccan tagines along with a wide selection of Eastern-Mediterranean dishes such as schawarmas, gyros and kababs. Burgers are also available.
Golden Meals Food Truck
3500 Broadway, (210) 350-4717
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Sunday
The lowdown: The business' food truck offers many of the same Eastern-Mediterranean specialties — schawarmas, gyros and kababs — as its brick-and-mortar counterpart but minus the Moroccan tagines. Extended hours make it a good choice for night owls.
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