The Village Crown Restaurant Moroccan has been transformed. On a recent visit to Morocco, its owner, Eli Vaknine, went on an inspired shopping spree and brought back rugs, pottery, lattice and filigree decorations, and ornate and colorful fabric, all signatures of a country where Middle Eastern and European influences co-exist and sometimes mesh.  With its new face, The Village Crown Restaurant has become a celebration of its Moroccan roots. Visually, just about everything has changed. Attending to every detail, Eli has insured that authenticity and tradition extend all the way to the table settings. The handmade pottery, pitchers, plates, and tajin crockery provide the perfect complement to the food, right through dessert and tea which is served in traditional silver tea pots. 

Candlelight lends a warm glow to the dimly lit dining room where wall hangings, rich with intricate designs, offer a colorful and patterned setting.  The tables are covered with white tablecloths and butcher paper.  In back of the main dining room past the bar,  there is a "Chena Tent," an outdoor traditionally decorated tent that is heated during the winter months and serves as the backdrop for weddings, engagement parties and the prenuptial Chena ceremony so prevalent in Sephardic communities. The "Chena," I've learned, differs in some rituals from one Sephardic community to another, but in essence it is a gathering, originally exclusively for women, to celebrate an upcoming marriage. It is meant as an occasion to lavish the bride with wishes of good luck. Henna pigment is applied to the hands and arms in patterns and flowers to attract positive forces. The tent is colorfully decorated and contains a small stage area with mother-of-pearl inlayed chairs, or more correctly thrones for the bride and groom. It transports all who enter to a very attractive and exotic place and is available to diners when it is not reserved for a party.  Outdoor garden dining in the back, is also an option. The garden area is converted into a sukkah when needed and is only available when weather and temperature permit. 

Surrounded by this unique setting, the diner has no trouble "getting in the right frame of mind" for the upcoming meal. The food itself is a reflection of the confluence of Middle Eastern and European influences that define Morocco.  So that, although traditional home style Moroccan recipes originating from the kitchen of Eli's mother, Sol, dominate the menu, there are also some Western and Middle Eastern dishes such as BBQ Short Ribs, Grill Blackened Tuna, Shawarma, kebobs and potato or mushroom Borekas. It is significant, however, that the bulk of the food served here is a product of the tradition the owner's mother inherited and not of a cooking school.  The result is true home style flavor and an honesty that is refreshing as it is unpretentious. 

To get a good overview of the food, we ordered platters of both the hot and cold appetizers.  The cold Middle Eastern salads: Humus, Tahini, Babaganoush, Tabouli, Moroccan Eggplant, etc. were all very fresh and good tasting.  By itself, the cold combination platter makes for a satisfying vegetarian meal, especially in the summer months. The hot appetizers included Moroccan Cigars (ground meat encased in deep fried batter), Stuffed Grape Leaves, Beef Kuba, Vegetable Kuba, Potato & Mushroom Borekas and Falafel.  Although they were all very appetizing, the Cigars and Stuffed Grape Leaves deserve to be singled out as being particularly good. 

There are two soups on the menu, du jour and the Harira, a traditional Moroccan dish that came highly recommended.  The Harira can be described as the Moroccan Minestrone, a hearty but not heavy soup filled with vegetables like chickpeas, lentils, celery, tomatoes, and noodles in a tomato base. Although, I had intended to sample just a few spoonfuls I ended up finishing the bowl. 

Given the variety offered, deciding on entrees proved to be a difficult task. The selections included several categories: Couscous (with either vegetable, chicken or lamb,), Beef and Lamb (include steaks, kebobs, or lamb chops,) Fish (Salmon, Trout & Tuna grilled or seared,) Chicken (served battered, kebobed, grilled or sautéed,) and the traditional Tajins (meat, fish or vegetables slowly cooked in crockery.)  First we ordered the Grilled Rib Steak and the Sautéed Chicken with Marsala Wine.  Wanting to also sample dishes that were specifically Moroccan, we then ordered a Tajins dish (the Kefta with Eggs), a Couscous dish (the Vegetable with Root Vegetables in Broth) and for good measure, a sampling of the Moussaka and Stuffed Mushrooms  (ok, they're not Moroccan either, but not much off the mark.) 

From the first mouthful, it was evident that the food was generally better than I had remembered. Although I was assured that the chef had not been changed, the preparation has definitely improved. I'm told that mama Sol comes in from Israel every so often and stops by to sample the food and tweak her recipes to make sure they taste just right.  On prior occasions I had felt there was a problem with the heavy handed use of salt. This time there was a palatable difference. In fact, the Rib Steak lacked seasoning altogether! It was left to the diner to added salt and pepper to taste. The generous portion of meat was grilled just the way I like it, well on the outside and less so on the inside. The dish included two vegetables.  We ordered fries and green beans and both vegetables had a satisfying texture and flavor. The Chicken in Marsala Wine on the other hand had a wonderfully balanced sauce with a terrific flavor. The wine was dominant but not overbearing and the spices blended nicely complementing the wine without competing with it. The sauce also contained a healthy portion of mushrooms which immediately ensured my enthusiasm for this dish. Although I had intended to take just a few bites from each of the dishes we ordered, I found myself finishing this dish completely, a definite indication of my enjoyment of it. 

The Moussaka, thin slices of eggplant wrapped around ground beef in a tomato sauce is listed as an entree but it also makes a very nice light appetizer for two. The same is true of the Stuffed Mushrooms. The mushrooms are filled with a vegetable/potato mixture that gives the dish a homemade quality. This is not sophisticated cuisine with great refinement or subtle seasoning, but rather food that is good and  hearty that will send any Moroccan diner reminiscing about the "old country."  It 's range veers from the very basic, as with the Couscous with root vegetable in broth to the Tajins dishes with their more exotic and inventive use of dried fruit (apricots, prunes and raisins) and nuts (walnuts and almonds).  For those watching their salt intake, it should be noted that, although salt application has been generally greatly reduced, the cooked Moroccan dishes still have a noticeable salt content.

For dessert there are of course Baklava and Moroccan Sweet Cigars, but you'll also find Apple Strudel, Chocolate Cake and even Tiramisu. For the uninitiated, Baklava is a honey drenched, flaky dough pastry with pistachio nuts that is very sweet and very good. Its a dessert you savor slowly, nibbling on the nuts and separating the layers.  As with eating a sandwich cookie, the process is half the fun. The familiar Strudel is also very good and fits right in here with its apples and nuts. The surprise of the evening is the delicious Tiramisu.  Sipping mint tea made from fresh mint leaves was a perfect end to the meal. 

The Village Crown Moroccan is not just a restaurant, it's an experience.  Through its authentic cuisine and new traditional decor, the restaurant offers a peek at the Moroccan spirit.  A spirit that defines itself with rich colors, textures and patterns in its outward expression and with an equally rich vocabulary of fruits, nuts and spices in its cuisine.  To get the total effect, dine in the tent if you can and feel as if you are on a Moroccan holiday!

Restaurant: The Village Crown Moroccan

Address: 96 Third Avenue (bet. E. 12th St. - E. 13th St.)

Telephone: (212) 674-2061

Hechsher: k- K (Glatt Kosher)

Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11:30am-11pm  (Lunch is served 11:30am-3:30pm)
     Fri: 11:30am - 2pm
     Sat: Closed Except for Parties in the Spring-Summer Months. After High Holidays: Opens 1 hour After Shabbos till 12am.

Charge Cards Accepted: MC, Visa, AmEx Discover, Diners Club

Handicap Info:  Dining room is on street level as are the rest rooms.