Marrakesh
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Location:
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Epcot |
Reviewer's Name:
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Brian Bennett |
Reviewer's Email Address:
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brian@mouseplanet.com |
Date of Meal:
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September 24, 1998, October 28, 1997,
October 29, 1996 |
Number of Guests at Your Table:
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September 24, 1998: 2 adults, 1
toddler
October 28, 1997: 3 adults, 1 elementary, 1 toddler
October 29, 1996: 4 adults, 1 infant |
Approximate Cost:
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October 28, 1997: When I tried to
get my MKC discount, I was told that Marrakesh isn't a Disney
restaurant so the MKC isn't honored. Bummer, but it won't keep me
from coming back to this place. The total bill (for just Barb and
I and Allan), before tip, was $50.67, and didn't include the milk
we ordered for Allan, but which they failed to include on the tab
-- a fact I didn't notice until I got out the bill to write this
up.
October 29, 1996: Since the whole meal was covered by
Food 'N' Fun (and I'm being alot less particular about keeping
track of the meal charges this year than last), I'd have to
estimate the entire meal cost at $90-$110 for the four of us. Keep
in mind that none of us drink alcohol, so that keeps the prices
way down. |
Priority Seating / Reservations Comments:
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September 24, 1998: Didn't
bother, didn't need them.
October 28, 1997: We had 'em, probably didn't need 'em.
October 29, 1996: Ditto. |
Time of Wait:
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September 24, 1998: Upon our
arrival at Morocco, we strolled back to Marrakesh to see if we
could be seated for dinner. No problem...we were seated
immediately, although the restaurant was fairly well full (at
least 85%, I'd say).
October 28, 1997: We were seated within five minutes of
our arrival, on the main floor, but away from the central dance
floor.
October 29, 1996: Virtually none |
Food Review:
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September 24, 1998: For dinner
Barb and I both had our usuals. I had the Sultan's
Sampler (with the vegetable couscous that I enjoy so much) and
Barb had shish kabob. The meal was excellent and Allan, for
the most part, was pretty good too. He had a few moments (he
was bored, and they didn't have any crayons) but was fairly
decent.
October 28, 1997: We skipped the appetizers this time,
and simply ordered entrees. Barb had the beef shish kabob ($19.95)
served with rice and orange pop ($1.95). I had the sultan's
sampler which included brochette of chicken (ok, a chicken kabob),
some beef kefta, and a beef shish kabob along with a side of rice
and vegetable couscous ($22.95). To drink, I ordered a Moroccan
Sunrise ($2.95) which I remembered from the last trip was
wonderful. We passed on desert. Another wonderful meal at a
wonderful restaurant....
October 29, 1996: We were all pleasantly surprised at the
menu. There was a wide variety of options and each of us had
several to choose from that sounded good to us. I was surprised at
how similar some of the dishes were to Greek food. We're pretty
familiar with Greek cuisine since we've had dinner in the
Greektown area of Detroit several times. Since this was the first
of our six Food 'N' Fun meals, we each ordered a Morrocan Sunrise
non-alcoholic specialty drink (which was excellent) an appetizer,
an entree, and a desert with a beverage. Mom and Dad both ordered
the harira soup appetizer. Barb had a beef brewat. I ordered a
chicken bastilla. The soup had a lot of saffron in it that gave it
a nice kick. Mom and Dad both liked it (in fact, after our meal
they bought a cookbook with the recipe for the soup.) The beef
brewat and chicken bastilla were similar. They were both thin
pastries filled with the meat. To top it off, the pastry had a
thin sprinkling of cinnamon and powered sugar which gave it a
sweet and very unusual flavor. For our entree' Mom and I
both ordered the Sultan's Sampler entrée that included a
brochette of chicken, some beef kefta, and a beef shish kabob
along with a side of rice and vegetable couscous. Dad ordered beef
kefta. Barb had the shish kabob. The brochette of chicken was
simply a chicken kabob. The beef kefta was a spicy meat ball with
gravy. In case you're not familiar with couscous (I wasn't until I
had this meal) it's a grain, similar to wheat, that is steamed and
served with vegetables. My best description for it would be that
it's a lot like very small grained rice in texture and taste.
For desert, Barb had a fruit cup with mint ice cream. I had a
pastry served with vanilla cream sauce. Mom and Dad both had
crepes with ice cream. |
Service Review:
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The service at Marrakesh has never been
spectacular, but the staff is always courteous and prompt, if not
overly friendly. Since the entire wait staff consists of
Moroccan nationals, this might be a cultural characteristic. |
Atmosphere Review:
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October 28, 1997: The Moroccan
music was playing loudly, and Allan really seemed to enjoy it. A
few minutes later, a belly dancer came out to entertain...and like
last year, spent most of her time getting the younger kids in the
restaurant to join her. It's always cute to watch the little ones
like that.
October 29, 1996: I'd wanted to have a meal at Marrakesh
since our honeymoon trip in 1989. Barb was never very keen on the
idea, partly because the unusual food didn't excite her....but
mostly because she didn't want the belly dancers to excite me.
With added pressure from Mom and Dad (who had planned to go to
Marrakesh during their short trip in September 1995, but weren't
able to pull it off due to a scheduling problem) Barb acquiesced.
The Moroccan entertainment was a lot more low-key that I'd
expected. The live music was quiet and unobtrusive. Not top 40's
by any means, but not obnoxious. The belly dancing was pretty
calm, too. In fact, the dancer spent more time teaching some of
the kids in the crowd to dance than she did in going from table to
table embarrassing the patrons (which is what I was afraid of). It
was pretty cute to see the kids up there. |
Other Comments:
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Now that we've tried this place, it's
one of my favorites. I love the vegetable couscous so
much that I've started to make it at home! |
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Walt Disney World Restaurant Resource
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