Flavor bigger than Texas, straight from Morocco

The scent of incense hangs in the air, different colored glass in hanging lanterns throws a romantic light in the cozy room and the murmur of conversation and clicking glasses adds a comfortable air to the restaurant.

Let me just start by saying there it is hard to believe food in actual Morocco is this good. The chef is legitimately from Marrakesh, Morocco and he told me the dishes he is cooking up in the open kitchen at Medina Oven and Bar are his family recipes.

I have had phyllo before, but their Shrimp and Shermoula phyllo had such a perfectly flaky, crisp outside and savory, chunky inside - I was already dreaming about my next visits to try the others listed on their menu... I have my eye on that goat cheese one.

The food is full of complex and rich tastes I've seriously never had before. This is the Ras El Hanout Lamb Chops Tagine with spices, balsamic vinaigrette reduction, herbed potatoes and goat cheese. Every bite was so good, it made me want to savor every second of the flavor. I even found myself avoiding my cocktail so I could taste it longer. That was weird.

When I didn't think it could get any better... This was shockingly just as amazing: Beef Tenderloin Tagine almonds, poached prunes, sesame, roasted potatoes with a honey-ginger-sa ron glaze. The chef came over just to tell me to be sure to eat the prunes with my bites of beef tenderloin and the combination was so unusual, every bite was better than the last. Prunes? Really? Yes. Get on board and trust me. It's hard to describe how amazing the flavors are because they are relatively foreign to me, but that is what made this dinner so fun and delicious.

Their cocktails... or "SEXY DRINKS" as their menu calls them, were also shockingly good. To add a cherry on top, you can watch the chef in the open kitchen finishing off every dish passing through it and stopping by each table to chat for a second. You can feel his passion for the food, and once you try it, you'll understand too.



INSIDER TIP: Make a reservation. If there is an event going on at the American Airlines Center, it'll be hard to get in without one.