Taste of Morocco

Lamb tajine is served with peas and artichoke hearts. (Credit: Sam Riche)

In the 1942 film "Casablanca," people fled Europe through Morocco on their way to America. The city was a portal where one could gain passage to another place and a new experience.

Saffron Cafe, Downtown Indianapolis' first Moroccan restaurant, is sure to have the same effect, in reverse: Patrons of the new restaurant will be stepping outside of America on their way to a melange of North African and European flavors.

The Kingdom of Morocco rests across the Strait of Gilbratar from Spain and Portugal, and next to the Mediterranean coastline of Algeria, and mixes the recipes and customs of those places.

Saffron Cafe opened in March in the former Canary Cafe location, a stand-alone building on Fort Wayne Avenue, across from the back of the Elbow Room, and it reproduces that feel.

Owner Anas Sentissi said he was attempting to create the same atmosphere as his family's Bloomington restaurant, Casablanca Cafe, hoping it will become a  culinary destination. And if one visit  is anything to go by, this is the kind of joint Rick and Ilsa would never leave.

The atmosphere: From the small chandeliers to the table settings, mirrors and draped curtains, this restaurant has an appropriate ethnic sensibility without falling into a hookah-bar caricature. Tasteful photos of modern-day Morocco are a nice touch.

Sentissi said he plans to stock the corner bar with wine from a mountaintop vineyard in Morocco -- apparently the first vineyard in the world.

The food: Moroccan food draws on a wide range of regional and historical influences, but  the country is especially known for tajines (stews), served in elegant clay pots.

Expect spices, chickpeas, meats and vegetables, and at Saffron Cafe, the food comes in the form of both high-end dinner items and a low-cost lunch menu.

We started with the taktoucka shrimp ($10.95) -- a vivacious salad of cucumber, tomato, artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives -- and a plate of the saffron mussels ($10.95), which were freshly steamed in a fragrant, creamy white wine and garlic sauce. For entrees, I tried the lamb tajine ($18.95), a leg of lamb cooked with peas and artichoke hearts, garnished with pickled lemon and served in a hot pot.

The succulent meat was already separated from the bone, removing any difficult work, but the flavor was confined more to the stew than the meat itself.

My dinner partner had the Atlantic salmon with charmoula ($21.95), fresh wild salmon topped with cilantro pesto, served on a bed of couscous and crunchy vegetables.

The homemade tiramisu ($7.95)  was divine, and a taste of the baklava was equally pleasing.

The service: Our waiter -- the only one serving  on this recent weeknight -- was attentive, pleasant and helpful. Some of his best work came in steering us toward the tea on the menu, both hot and cold.

The price: $90.86 (not including a $15 tip).