Couscous prepared by Yves Samake of the Atlanta Ritz-Carlton
Normally I prefer to not dwell on what Atlanta lacks in terms of food choice and instead go looking for what we have. But I have long decried the lack of a good French North African couscous meal.
I know we have a couple of good Moroccan restaurants — Imperial Fez in Buckhead and Imane in Gwinnett County — that serve couscous. But a Moroccan meal can be kind of an event with the floor cushions, the eating with your fingers, the acrobatic green tea pouring, etc. It’s shebang-y.
In France, couscous is a popular ethnic dish that cuts across economic levels. People may go out to a fun, slightly cheesy, super-cheap couscous restaurant the way we might go out for Mexican. Or a neighborhood bistro might serve couscous once a week as a special and use high quality meats for garnish in the spirit of fried chicken Tuesdays at Watershed. Or a Parisian might invite a bunch of people over for a couscous dinner at home the way a …