LOVE AND ROMANCE IN MOROCCO!
posted by Blogger @ 9:00 PM
Saturday, September 24, 2005
LOVE AND ROMANCE IN MOROCCO
Campion and Tatiana have now left the U.S.!!!
We look forward to seeing you in Morocco!
Photos are up online at http://www.marrakesh.shutterfly.com.
TATIANA & CAMPION ARE HAVING A MOROCCAN
WEDDING CELEBRATION!
A year, a month and a day after the fact, they will renew
their vows as the sun sets over the snow-capped
Atlas Mountains in an 18th century fortress in Marrakesh.
But this is not just a one night celebration!
You are invited to come spend an unforgettable Thanksgiving
with camels! The Thanksgiving celebration will take place
in a fabulous Moroccan villa set in a 5-acre fantasy garden
in the fashionable La Palmeraie district.
5:16:11:14:5:27:2:15:10:23:11:24
---------------------------------------
You are cordially invited to
LOVE AND ROMANCE
IN MOROCCO
Friday, November 25th, 2005
19h00
Kasbah Agafay
Marrakesh, Morocco
Festive Attire
---------------------------------------
Please also join us for
THANKSGIVING DINNER
AND CELEBRATION
Thursday, November 24th, 2005
19h00
Verger de l'Etoile Filante Villa
La Palmeraie, Marrakesh
Moroccan Jelabah Attire
---------------------------------------
MARRAKESH, "Morocco City", as early travellers called it, has always been something of a pleasure city, a marketplace where southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring in their goods, spend their money and find entertainment. It's an enduring fantasy – a city of immense beauty, low, red and tentlike before a great shaft of mountains – and immediately exciting. At the heart of it all is a square, Djemaa El Fna, an open space in the center of the city, and the stage for a long-established ritual in which shifting circles of onlookers gather around groups of acrobats, drummers, pipe musicians, dancers and storytellers. However many times you return there, it remains compelling. So, too, do the basins of the Agdal and Menara gardens, the delicate Granada-style carving of the Saadian Tombs and the Koutoubia Minaret. Marrakesh has Berber rather than Arab origins, having developed as the metropolis of Atlas tribes – Maghrebis from the plains, Saharan nomads and former slaves from Africa beyond the desert, and the ancient kingdom of Timbuktu. All of these strands shape the city's souks and its way of life... Come discover it all!
---------------------------------------
SUGGESTED TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:
SPEND THE ENTIRE WEEK IN MOROCCO!
British Airways flies to Morocco from the U.S. through London. From London, you can fly to Casablanca and then connect on to Marrakesh. Air France has flights through Paris de Gaulle, and then direct into Marrakesh from Paris. Air Maroc flies direct New York to Casablanca, and then connect from Casablanca to Marrakesh.
---------------------------------------
TENTATIVE WEEK ACTIVITIES
Sunday, November 20th to Saturday, November 26th, 2005
Sunday, November 20th:
Arrive in Marrakesh! Welcome reception and dinner in old Medina.
Monday, November 21st:
Cultural visits in and around Marrakesh. Dinner in Gueliz.
Tuesday, November 22nd:
Happy birthday Campion! Evening celebration at Riad El Fenn.
Wednesday, November 23rd:
Day trip to Oukaimeden, N. Africa's largest ski resort.
Dinner at Marrakesh hot spot Le Comptoir.
Thursday, November 24th: Thanksgiving at Verger de l'Etoile Filante Villa!
Friday, November 25th: Love and Romance at Kasbah Agafay!
And much, much more TBD!
---------------------------------------
ACCOMMODATIONS:
There are many funky riads in Marrakesh. One that we recommend is DAR EL SOUK: A small riad situated in the Zitoun quartier, not far from Djemaa El Fna square. Rooms start at 60 Euros per night (very good price for Marrakesh!) http://www.darelsouk.com/
If you are looking for modern amenities, there is LE MERIDIEN N'FIS MARRAKESH. Located in the Menara district and situated in a stunning park. 277 rooms. Rooms start at 150 Euros. http://www.marrakech.lemeridien.com/
If you are looking for luxury, you may be interested in the famous LA MAMOUNIA, the hotel of choice of politicians and celebrities alike. Rooms start at 300 Euros (3300 Moroccan Dirhams). http://www.mamounia.com/
Currency Converter: Euros, Moroccan Dirhams to Dollars
OTHER HOTELS:
RIAD EL FENN is a nine suite fully restored riad, with comfortable lounge rooms and a salon with an open fireplace. This is where the dinner on November 22nd for Campion's birthday will take place. It is owned by Vanessa Branson, who shares the same business genes as her tycoon brother.
www.riadelfenn.com
RIAD KNIZA: 18th century old Riad Kniza is an upscale small luxury “Hotel de Charme” completely restored by well known Marrakechi Mr. M. Bouskri in the heart of the old Médina.
www.riadkniza.com
The AMANJENA on the outskirts of Marrakesh is the first Aman Hotel on the African Continent. Very exclusive, its Moorish film-set architecture has been called ‘stark’ - but it is quite breathtaking. Expensive.
http://www.amanjena.com
The site of Friday night's celebration, KASBAH AGAFAY, is also an exquisite small 20-room hotel. Tented suites are available with amazing panorama, all on the grounds of this 18th century fortress. Strong Moroccan flavor with high end touches.
http://www.kasbahagafay.com
KASBAH TAMADOT is a luxurious mountain retreat opened by Richard Brandson in 2004. Stunning views. Morocco is all about contrasts and Kasbah Tamadot is a fabulous place to experience them all. Located 40-minute drive from Marrakesh.
http://www.kasbahtamadot.com
More hotel information available at Nathalie Hambro's Full of Chic web site:
En Vacances: Road to Morocco
---------------------------------------
Recommended Guide Book:
TIME OUT MARRAKESH
'...an indispensable guide.' Harpers & Queen
Marrakech is becoming newly fashionable as a long-weekend break for fine dining, specialist shopping and exquisite ‘hip hotel’ accommodation. The rapid growth of stylish new venues has made the city a staple of travel features in the style press. Marrakech’s hip quotient show no signs of flagging. Movie heartthrob Colin Farrell set up headquarters in the bar of the Sheraton there while filming Oliver Stone’s Alexander in the deserts and mountains outside town, which is also where Richard Branson’s long-awaited ‘kasbah’ (fortress) hotel opens in March. Meanwhile, Branson’s sister Vanessa has just had her new boutique hotel make it on to Conde Nast’s annual list of the world’s hottest accommodation (Riad El Fenn, the location of Campion's birthday dinner on November 22nd). In fact, such is the continued celeb and A-list pull of this tiny little market town on the edge of the Atlas Mountains that it now even has its first members’ club, occupying a historic old palatial residence at the heart of the Old City’s bazaar district. The new Time Out Guide, of course, covers all these new spots, while also providing insightful coverage and analysis of local culture, traditions and arts that have made this pink-walled city such a magnet for the international fashion, film and high-society set.
Time Out Marrakech also includes coverage of the hotspots within easy reach of Marrakech, from escapes into the Atlas Mountains to boho beach chilling in Essaouira.
---------------------------------------
Weather Info!
Morocco Weather - Marrakesh Average Conditions
Morocco Weather - Temperatures in Fahrenheit
---------------------------------------
OPTIONAL - WEEK OF NOVEMBER 13TH TO 19TH:
If you are adventurous, come join Campion and Tatiana the week before as well for a caravan through the desert. Start out the week traveling by car to the Atlas mountains and through the famed city of Ouarzazate. Spend the night at the amazing Riad Maria, where another unmentionable couple, B&A, hid out earlier this year. Then, a day of travel by camel to spend three nights in the desert (yes, we will have guides!). After the desert, return to Marrakesh by car on Saturday, November 19th, in time for activities planned for the week. For this, you would need to arrive in Marrakesh on Sunday, November 13th. If you are thinking of doing this week as well, please email tatiana@campionplatt.com as soon as possible so that necessary arrangements can be made!
---------------------------------------
Morocco is the tantalising lower lip on the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, a land so rich in mystique it seems to hover like a magic carpet somewhere between myth and reality. Morocco's dazzling mosaic of Arab and Berber cultures -- with a dash of African and European influence -- is at once strange and romantic, alluring and disconcerting. Morocco is a country that is so intrinsically beautiful and rich with heritage that the moment you step foot on it you feel completely transported to another time and place. The landscapes vary from snow-laden slopes to pristine deserts.
Come join us there...
---------------------------------------
posted by Blogger @ 8:00 PM
Marrakesh Cuisine
Gourmet Magazine
by Frederick Vreeland
In the dozen years following Morocco's 1956 independence from its French protectorate, La Maison Arabe was the restaurant for discriminating visitors to Marrakech such as Sir Winston Churchill. This bi-cultural Mecca served the finest Moroccan dishes, closely supervised by two formidable French ladies who claimed they had inherited their cooks and recipes from the lavishly prodigious Pasha of Marrakech, Thami el Glaoui. European initiative was essential in a country where, since everything good takes place behind closed doors, there is no tradition of eating out. Eventually, Moroccan entrepreneurs displaced the aging French ladies, and purely local eateries for tourists mushroomed.
This year marks the return of bi-cultural superiority. The restaurant is Tobsil (meaning "dish" in Arabic). Far from the dreary image of her predecessors, the new patrone is Mlle. Christine Rio, young, hyper-active and attractive. Steeped in the secrets of Northern French cuisine, she has mastered the recipes of her newly adopted homeland, where some regional cuisines offer as many as a hundred ways of cooking chicken. To the soothing tones of two musicians from a spiritual brotherhood, in a subtle, decorous patio (mysteriously closing or opening to the sky) you are served appropriately subtle and decorous Moroccan dishes chosen daily by Mlle Rio, inspired by the arrival of fresh produce in the three local food markets (Muslim-Arabic, European-Arabic and Jewish). This innovative and surprising fare could be called Nouvelle Cuisine Marocaine. To begin, you will have a bevy of tiny vegetable dishes, including the unforgettable honey-laced tomato puree, grated carrots with orange blossom extract, and wild celery-like "mauve" cooked in a sauce of spices called Ras-el-Hanout. Your main course could be lamb with artichoke hearts, sometimes served with fresh new peas sitting in each heart, cooked in a broth in one of those terra cotta Tajines, with the conical-cover that auto-bastes the meat until it is tender and almost golden. Then try the desert version of the traditional Pastilla -- normally served as a pigeon pie starter, spinkled with confectioner's sugar -- a luscious pile of crunchy, wafers, rather like giant cornflakes, flavored with a light custard sauce.
Yacout, the other Mecca for Moroccan cuisine, tends to be more conventional, with such hearty staples as Harira, the essence-of-lamb soup Moroccans drink after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, chicken with preserved "confit" lemons, lamb in a sauce of prunes and almonds, and sliced oranges in rose water. As with the Tobsil, dining at the Yacout is an experience, an evening of magical sensuous delight. Host Mohamed Zkiri has orchestrated a combination that is pleasing to the eye, with decor by Morocco's premiere architect/designer Bill Willis, to the ear with the music of traditional Andalusian stringed instruments, to the nose with incense as you enter and savory spices as you are being served -- and of course to the palate as you taste one fine course after another.
Other traditional Moroccan restaurants include Dar Marjana and Palais Gharnata. The latter was the first restaurant to open in Marrakech serving purely traditional cuisine. If you order ahead of time, your hosts the El Amrani family will put on a Moroccan wedding extravaganza while you dine. The pageantry matches the long succession of Tajines and sweet-smelling delicacies. Dar Marjana has a more formal atmosphere, with rose petals covering the carpets and your name in sequins on the table-top. These are fairly well hidden within the city walls of the Medina, or Arab city, and are best reached by taxi.
Just off Avenue Mohamed V, at the center of the European city is Le Jacaranda, with its complex menu of French specialties. Service tends to be spotty when the owner, Alain Demars, is away, but the cuisine is impeccable. Dishes are what Parisians call "Plats cuisinés," such as Ris de Veau au miel citroné, or Tripe de Veau au cidre et Calvados. Most impressive is the Tournedos Cordon Rouge, a very juicy steak, cut in half with Magret of duck and Foie gras in the center, garnished with deftly sliced fresh vegetables on the side. Chocolate deserts are a specialty, but you may prefer the succulent lemon tart topped with meringue.
Red checked table clothes and easygoing ambiance are features of the Rotisserie de la Paix, where most of the year you are seated in an airy garden with fountains playing and friendly cats crawling. This less expensive restaurant has successfully turned from its French colonial origins to being the favorite of Marrakech locals for family gatherings and special occasions. They come here for the chicken and brochettes of lamb or beef grilled on an open fire; the crispiest french fries in town, and crepes suzettes au Grand Marnier. Begging felines will help you finish off the generous portions of grilled Lotte, and you will have no problem with the home made creme caramel.
A different formula is offered by Kasbah La Rotonda, not far from the Royal Palace in the Kasbah quarter of the Arab city. This brilliant theatrical set includes superimposed Moroccan and Italian restaurants, plus a partially covered roof-top bar, with unforgettable views of the Atlas mountains at sunset. Each restaurant has its dedicated kitchen, as well as gorgeously appointed rooms for private parties or guests who just want to be alone.The concept is by the Venetian designer Luciano Tempo who is frequently off working in Thailand -- as reflected in the sumptuous orientalism of the almost overwhelming decor -- and his brother Roberto, who faithfully presides in the Italian kitchen while keeping a keen eye on the sophisticated Moroccan cuisine. Truffles and Parmesan, olive oil and pasta are imported from Italy, and the menus change frequently, as Roberto exhibits the spontaneity and prodigality of his native land. You might start with Carpaccio, carefully chosen from locally raised beef cattle, followed by ravioli that will be filled with different goodies depending on the season, then grilled swordfish drenched in white wine and finally a pastry assortment reminiscent of Roberto's origins on the Grand Canal. The Moroccan cuisine emphasizes variety, with specialties such as Tajines of lamb or chicken that each day are prepared in a different sauce, including prunes, lemons, olives, and wild cards or other curious local vegetables.
Purely Italian is La Trattoria, where you immediately feel welcome. The rooms are cozy and the art works are a lesson in European cultural exposure to the Arab world. The prosciutto crudo is worthy of Parma, and the marinated trout was in a Middle Atlas mountain stream a few days before reaching your table. Spaghetti alle vongole verace is properly served with the clams in their tiny shells. Ravioli alle quatro formagi has grated nutmeg and four delicious tastes, a combination of cheeses from Italy and from Morocco which increasingly is producing fine dairy products. But the sum of the parts is ineffably Italian, and the ultimate you can attain here is for Giancarlo himself to cook your pasta.
Asian food used hard to find in Morocco, but Marrakech now boasts Japanese, Indian and Thai restaurants. The first-rate Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Son has unfortunately been closed for repairs for some time, but it is worth looking for its reopening.
A basic rule for travelers is not to eat in a hotel. But if your hotel is called La Mamounia, under your roof are fine Moroccan and Italian restaurants, and an international extravaganza called L'Imperiale as well as an upscale bistro called La Caléche; and next to the swimming pool you can eat arguably the best -- but most pricey --buffet lunch in the world .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobsil - La Medina. Tel 44.444052, Fax 44.443515
Yacout - La Medina. Tel 44.310158, or 44.310104
Dar Marjana - Bab Doukkala (opposite Glaoui's palace), La Medina. Tel 44.445773
Palais Gharnata - Derb El Arsa, Medina. Tel 44.445216
Le Jacaranda - 32 boulevard Zerktouni, Gueliz. Tel 44.433192
Rotisserie de la Paix - 68 rue de Yougoslavie, Gueliz. Tel 44.433118
Kasbah La Rotonda - 39 derb Lamnabha, Kasbah. Tel 44.440065. Fax 44.440188
La Trattoria - 179 rue Mohamed El Bequal, Gueliz. Tel 44.432541
Kim Son - 5 bis rue Ibn Toumert, Gueliz. Tel 44.430159.
Hotel La Mamounia - Tel 44.388600
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Frederick Vreeland
In the dozen years following Morocco's 1956 independence from its French protectorate, La Maison Arabe was the restaurant for discriminating visitors to Marrakech such as Sir Winston Churchill. This bi-cultural Mecca served the finest Moroccan dishes, closely supervised by two formidable French ladies who claimed they had inherited their cooks and recipes from the lavishly prodigious Pasha of Marrakech, Thami el Glaoui. European initiative was essential in a country where, since everything good takes place behind closed doors, there is no tradition of eating out. Eventually, Moroccan entrepreneurs displaced the aging French ladies, and purely local eateries for tourists mushroomed.
This year marks the return of bi-cultural superiority. The restaurant is Tobsil (meaning "dish" in Arabic). Far from the dreary image of her predecessors, the new patrone is Mlle. Christine Rio, young, hyper-active and attractive. Steeped in the secrets of Northern French cuisine, she has mastered the recipes of her newly adopted homeland, where some regional cuisines offer as many as a hundred ways of cooking chicken. To the soothing tones of two musicians from a spiritual brotherhood, in a subtle, decorous patio (mysteriously closing or opening to the sky) you are served appropriately subtle and decorous Moroccan dishes chosen daily by Mlle Rio, inspired by the arrival of fresh produce in the three local food markets (Muslim-Arabic, European-Arabic and Jewish). This innovative and surprising fare could be called Nouvelle Cuisine Marocaine. To begin, you will have a bevy of tiny vegetable dishes, including the unforgettable honey-laced tomato puree, grated carrots with orange blossom extract, and wild celery-like "mauve" cooked in a sauce of spices called Ras-el-Hanout. Your main course could be lamb with artichoke hearts, sometimes served with fresh new peas sitting in each heart, cooked in a broth in one of those terra cotta Tajines, with the conical-cover that auto-bastes the meat until it is tender and almost golden. Then try the desert version of the traditional Pastilla -- normally served as a pigeon pie starter, spinkled with confectioner's sugar -- a luscious pile of crunchy, wafers, rather like giant cornflakes, flavored with a light custard sauce.
Yacout, the other Mecca for Moroccan cuisine, tends to be more conventional, with such hearty staples as Harira, the essence-of-lamb soup Moroccans drink after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, chicken with preserved "confit" lemons, lamb in a sauce of prunes and almonds, and sliced oranges in rose water. As with the Tobsil, dining at the Yacout is an experience, an evening of magical sensuous delight. Host Mohamed Zkiri has orchestrated a combination that is pleasing to the eye, with decor by Morocco's premiere architect/designer Bill Willis, to the ear with the music of traditional Andalusian stringed instruments, to the nose with incense as you enter and savory spices as you are being served -- and of course to the palate as you taste one fine course after another.
Other traditional Moroccan restaurants include Dar Marjana and Palais Gharnata. The latter was the first restaurant to open in Marrakech serving purely traditional cuisine. If you order ahead of time, your hosts the El Amrani family will put on a Moroccan wedding extravaganza while you dine. The pageantry matches the long succession of Tajines and sweet-smelling delicacies. Dar Marjana has a more formal atmosphere, with rose petals covering the carpets and your name in sequins on the table-top. These are fairly well hidden within the city walls of the Medina, or Arab city, and are best reached by taxi.
Just off Avenue Mohamed V, at the center of the European city is Le Jacaranda, with its complex menu of French specialties. Service tends to be spotty when the owner, Alain Demars, is away, but the cuisine is impeccable. Dishes are what Parisians call "Plats cuisinés," such as Ris de Veau au miel citroné, or Tripe de Veau au cidre et Calvados. Most impressive is the Tournedos Cordon Rouge, a very juicy steak, cut in half with Magret of duck and Foie gras in the center, garnished with deftly sliced fresh vegetables on the side. Chocolate deserts are a specialty, but you may prefer the succulent lemon tart topped with meringue.
Red checked table clothes and easygoing ambiance are features of the Rotisserie de la Paix, where most of the year you are seated in an airy garden with fountains playing and friendly cats crawling. This less expensive restaurant has successfully turned from its French colonial origins to being the favorite of Marrakech locals for family gatherings and special occasions. They come here for the chicken and brochettes of lamb or beef grilled on an open fire; the crispiest french fries in town, and crepes suzettes au Grand Marnier. Begging felines will help you finish off the generous portions of grilled Lotte, and you will have no problem with the home made creme caramel.
A different formula is offered by Kasbah La Rotonda, not far from the Royal Palace in the Kasbah quarter of the Arab city. This brilliant theatrical set includes superimposed Moroccan and Italian restaurants, plus a partially covered roof-top bar, with unforgettable views of the Atlas mountains at sunset. Each restaurant has its dedicated kitchen, as well as gorgeously appointed rooms for private parties or guests who just want to be alone.The concept is by the Venetian designer Luciano Tempo who is frequently off working in Thailand -- as reflected in the sumptuous orientalism of the almost overwhelming decor -- and his brother Roberto, who faithfully presides in the Italian kitchen while keeping a keen eye on the sophisticated Moroccan cuisine. Truffles and Parmesan, olive oil and pasta are imported from Italy, and the menus change frequently, as Roberto exhibits the spontaneity and prodigality of his native land. You might start with Carpaccio, carefully chosen from locally raised beef cattle, followed by ravioli that will be filled with different goodies depending on the season, then grilled swordfish drenched in white wine and finally a pastry assortment reminiscent of Roberto's origins on the Grand Canal. The Moroccan cuisine emphasizes variety, with specialties such as Tajines of lamb or chicken that each day are prepared in a different sauce, including prunes, lemons, olives, and wild cards or other curious local vegetables.
Purely Italian is La Trattoria, where you immediately feel welcome. The rooms are cozy and the art works are a lesson in European cultural exposure to the Arab world. The prosciutto crudo is worthy of Parma, and the marinated trout was in a Middle Atlas mountain stream a few days before reaching your table. Spaghetti alle vongole verace is properly served with the clams in their tiny shells. Ravioli alle quatro formagi has grated nutmeg and four delicious tastes, a combination of cheeses from Italy and from Morocco which increasingly is producing fine dairy products. But the sum of the parts is ineffably Italian, and the ultimate you can attain here is for Giancarlo himself to cook your pasta.
Asian food used hard to find in Morocco, but Marrakech now boasts Japanese, Indian and Thai restaurants. The first-rate Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Son has unfortunately been closed for repairs for some time, but it is worth looking for its reopening.
A basic rule for travelers is not to eat in a hotel. But if your hotel is called La Mamounia, under your roof are fine Moroccan and Italian restaurants, and an international extravaganza called L'Imperiale as well as an upscale bistro called La Caléche; and next to the swimming pool you can eat arguably the best -- but most pricey --buffet lunch in the world .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobsil - La Medina. Tel 44.444052, Fax 44.443515
Yacout - La Medina. Tel 44.310158, or 44.310104
Dar Marjana - Bab Doukkala (opposite Glaoui's palace), La Medina. Tel 44.445773
Palais Gharnata - Derb El Arsa, Medina. Tel 44.445216
Le Jacaranda - 32 boulevard Zerktouni, Gueliz. Tel 44.433192
Rotisserie de la Paix - 68 rue de Yougoslavie, Gueliz. Tel 44.433118
Kasbah La Rotonda - 39 derb Lamnabha, Kasbah. Tel 44.440065. Fax 44.440188
La Trattoria - 179 rue Mohamed El Bequal, Gueliz. Tel 44.432541
Kim Son - 5 bis rue Ibn Toumert, Gueliz. Tel 44.430159.
Hotel La Mamounia - Tel 44.388600
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted by Blogger @ 1:52 PM
