Monday, July 12, 2010

souk

Souk
1208 H Street Northeast
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 658-4224

We popped into Souk last night after finding out the wait at Sticky Rice would be prohibitive to our growling bellies...It's Moroccan tapas. Or, I should say "Moroccan" "tapas." Having had the distinct pleasure of visiting Morocco at the ripe age of 19 to visit my brother for 3 days, I now consider myself an expert on all things Moroccan.

No, not really. I'm not sure what was Moroccan about Souk aside from maybe the pillows. It seemed more like Lebanese fare to me -- kibbeh, kafta, baba gannouj, and the like. We ordered five tapas - large portions for being called small plates. Each of them more average than the last.

It's a good deal at Souk (bill was $35, no drinks), but it's not much else. The kibbeh were too bready, too hamburgery. The kafta was dry and ill-seasoned. The seasoned feta needed the most editing -- a crumbly mess of dry feta and zaatar was not only near flavorless, but baffling. (As a foil, the "crazy feta" which is more or less the same thing at Cava Mezze on 8th street is divine). Second worst was the baba gannouj -- all. wrong. Raw-ish eggplant threads in a milky mixture. No sign of tahini. No sign of roasted eggplant.

SO if you're on H Street -- skip Souk, there's no magic there. Wait it out at Sticky Rice, drop into Taylor Deli for a sandwich, or belly up to the bar at Granville Moore's. Souk...well, Souk sucked. If you like Lebanese mezze, try Neyla in Georgetown or try Cava Mezze on 8th Street.

Grade: D (Won't recommend, won't go back, didn't get food poisoning or go broke eating there).