Sleepy_Dragon

They are owned by the same person, according to the staff I spoke to at the Seattle Marrakesh. They also confirmed that the Spokane Marrakesh is owned by someone different, which I know didn't used to be the case because back when I was living in the Spokane area, the owner at the time told me he ran both the Portland and Spokane restaurants, so something must have changed between then and now. The menu is identical from what I remember, right down to design, typeface, and blurbs. Pat

Thanks for the welcome. I guess if you go in a group which is ok about digging in family style, you could get away with ordering a sweet main course since you'd get to taste everything, but yes, it is definitely too much sweetness for a meal for one person IMO. Also, maybe it is my memory getting cloudy but I seem to recall that same honey chicken prune dish being more complex at the Marrakesh in Spokane, though this was around 5 years ago. Whereas at the Seattle Marrakesh it's just... sweet. Probably better in small doses nicked from a companion's plate. Pat

The comment about "the market demanding a certain style of food" reminds me of a story an acquaintance told me about his Japanese food experience in Scotland several years back. Overall it was awful but the thing that really did it was he and his gf ordering the gyoza, only to have it arrived battered and deep fried. He asked the waiter why they were like that and was told they used to do gyoza the traditional way but nobody would order them. I neglected to ask if the sushi was also battered and deep fried. Pat

I've been to Marrakesh twice, good experience overall. I do have one suggestion though.. since they serve the food in courses, unless you've got a sweet tooth, try to make your main course a savory one, because it gets served between the b'stilla (chicken, nuts and eggs in filo dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon) and the dessert. The second time I went, I got the chicken with honey and prunes for my main, and having three sweet things in a row was a bit much for my tongue. Pat