Moroccan flavors make Kous Kous cafe a spicy treat
Like many chefs, Abdel Khila has long dreamed of owning his own restaurant.
A native of Morocco where he earned a bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant management, Khila tried to ignore his dream while he worked as head chef for Cafe Zinho, chef at La Foret and Bon Vivant and a teacher of Arabic and French at Upper St. Clair High School.
"But the dream didn't go away," he says.
Last summer, he decided it was now or never. He took a leave of absence from his teaching job and started actively scouting possible locations.
He settled on Mt. Lebanon because it had an active business district and a diverse population. "I though a Moroccan restaurant could be a good addition to the district," he says.
Kous Kous Cafe opened for business on Nov. 27 and features the sort of comfort foods his mom served back home.
The 28-seat restaurant occupies the tiny, narrow space that formerly housed a branch of the Enrico Biscotti Company.
"I'm not into this to make a million dollars," Khila says. "I wanted to share some of my culture."
Kous Kous Cafe packs a lot of Moroccan decor into a tiny space. Filigreed lamps with colored glass panels hang from the ceiling. The walls are adorned with squares of colorful glazed tiles and an assortment of equally colorful paintings.
As the meal progresses, the otherwise-bare tabletops become covered with metal teapots, woven breadbaskets and the ornately decorated serving dishes called tagines.
With barely room for 30 diners, the restaurant fills up fast with couples and a few larger groups, all of whom appear to be out for an evening of socializing. Tables are close together, making it heaven for eavesdroppers but less pleasant for those hoping for a quiet dinner of whispered intimacies.
The entrance door opens directly into the narrow restaurant and brings a strong draft of cold air that on a frigid evening penetrates to the farthest table.
The two-person waitstaff is welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable, bustling between tables and the open kitchen, answering questions and bringing additional baskets of the warm, moist Moroccan bread.
Like many Mediterranean rim cuisines, Moroccan food is a pleasant blend of North African, Arabic and European cooking traditions.
"People think it's Middle Eastern cuisine. But it's not," Khila says. "We share a language and a culture but not the food."
Located on the northwest tip of Africa and directly across the easily crossed Straits of Gibraltar from Spain, Morocco has experienced waves of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arab and Jewish settlers and invaders, each of whom left their marks on the cuisine.
"We've had thousands of years of influence," Khila says. "We've been invaded and conquered by every civilization out there."
When possible, Khila prefers to buy locally grown produce and meats. He buys grass-fed beef from an Amish farmer and free-range chickens from a regional poultry farm.
Entrees at Kous Kous are prepared after they are ordered.
That could mean a wait of as long as 20 minutes for your food to arrive. The good thing is that some accommodation can be made for spiciness preferences and the substitution for some ingredients. While you wait, you could enjoy a cup of the Harira soup ($4.95 bowl, $2.95 cup), or you may want to bring a bottle of wine to sip with appetizers such as the Moroccan Platter ($8.50), a sampler of the ratatouille-like Eggplant Zaalouk , roasted peppers and tomatoes in olive oil and hummus served with pita wedges.
Mint tea ($3 for a small pot) makes an excellent and fragrant handwarmer on a cold night. It's a nice companion to the Moroccan Bastilla ($9.50) appetizer, which turned out to be a large round of phyllo-like pastry encasing a cinnamon-scented mixture of ground chicken, raisins, crunchy almonds and bits of egg covered with a cream sauce. Hot out of the oven, the bottom was solidly blackened, which made it difficult to divide, but a warm and just-right comfort food.
We're looking forward to a return visit to indulge in either the Moroccan Roasted Tak-Tooka ($7.50), a generous serving of shiny red peppers, tomatoes and ripe olives roasted in oil, garlic and spices, or the Moroccan Eggplant Zaalouk ($5.95), an attractive pile of roasted eggplant and other vegetables similar to the French ratatouille. Both come with an abundance of pita chips.
Given the restaurant's name, it seemed foolhardy not to try the couscous.
Couscous Tfaya ($22.95) did not disappoint. Steamy lamb stew mixed with onions, raisins and almonds offered a subtle mixture of sweet and hearty pleasures atop a mound of the softly steamed signature grain and accompanied by mild, cream-colored Tfaya sauce. The lamb was a bit fatty, but moist and tender.
Lemon Salmon in Sharmoula ($18.95) was presented straight from the oven in a tagine -- the traditional round, glazed terra-cotta dish with the smoke-stack lid from which wafted appetizing aromas. Lifting the lid, we discovered a generous piece of salmon surrounded by wheels of grilled zucchini and eggplant and saffron-colored rice.
The salmon was slightly overcooked and the two thin slices of lemon hidden beneath it failed to deliver the promised punch. But the vegetables were nicely cooked and browned.
The influence of French occupation comes through on the dessert menu, which offers both Chocolate Mousse and Creme Brulee ($4.50 for either). We figured we could get those at lots of restaurants but were unlikely to get Moroccan Cookies ($4.50 for 3) anywhere else.
The trio was uniformly dense, chewy and moist with hints of Moroccan spices and -- in one case -- flakes of coconut.
This tiny restaurant has already proven popular with diners and tends to fill up fast, especially on weekend evenings. To avoid disappointment, call ahead for a reservation or check the restaurant's Web site and order takeout.
Additional Information:
Kous Kous Cafe
Cuisine: Moroccan
Hours: 11:30-3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 5:30-10 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays
Entree price range: Lunch $8.95-$11.95, dinner $15.95-$22.95
Notes: Daily specials. Reservations accepted; BYOB policy with $5 corkage fee; most credit cards accepted but not American Express. Handicap-accessible. Highchairs. Trans-fat free oils. Takeout orders accepted.
Location: 665 Washington Blvd., Mt. Lebanon
Details: 412-563-5687 or Web site
