Originally uploaded by dynamist.
I live two floors above the most amazing restaurant, owned by people who have become friends to me: Nancy and Amir. They are lovely, sweet, and fill their restaurant with pretty things (like these roses, above, and the waitresses).
It is hard to pinpoint their speciality: Amir is, as I recall, from Morocco. He makes wonderful tagines, hummus, gyros, kebabs, tzatziki…you name it. But the restaurant also makes a mean burger. The place is very popular with a wide variety of locals, and one reason is that the unadventurous can eat as well as those who are up for something a bit more exotic.
This week, the smell of the wonderful lamb they stuff into the gyros has been tempting me. I usually eat there every Wednesday night with friends, but this week had to miss it. So this Friday night, with nothing appealing in the house and no desire to cook, I walked downstairs and treated myself to a meal with Amir and Nancy. I’d intended to order a gyro, but the “special burger” advertised on the blackboard – beef with sautéed mushrooms, melted provolone, and onions – was too good to resist.
It was perfect. I had with it a small order of french fries (which is really just the right amount; the portions are rather American) and a side order of fresh fruit salad, with cut melon, banana, and grapes. With a drink and tip, I got out of there for just under $10.
My dad was so taken by the gyros here when he visited that he will not even consider eating at any other restaurant when he is in Cincinnati. Maybe father really does know best.
Diner on Elm (aka Marrakech)
801 Elm St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-421-0049
[...] The spark Posted on December 2, 2007 by Jackie D Tonight I had dinner at the Diner on Elm/Marrakech Café, which is my second home these days. Nancy, the co-owner, has become a close friend.Over a fantastic meal (special burger, no bun, lots of mushrooms and salad), I told her about my idea for a new project: I want to help newcomers to Cincinnati to settle into town, find their niche in the community, create lasting friendhips, and make the city a home rather than some random place to which their employer has coaxed them into moving. (I have heard many times what a hard time companies like Procter & Gamble have getting staff to move here and stay here.) [...]