Food Journalism is not for the weak of heart or frail of ego. I learned this when duty brought me to Taktoukah, a new Moroccan spot that just opened this June. It was humbling. The fast-casual spot is situated on the corner of Crown and High, across from Milkcraft, and features the largest floor-to-ceiling windows you’ve ever seen—facilitating the inevitable staring between you and everyone you sort of know at Yale who will somehow wander outside the restaurant as you eat. If you aren’t ready for a surprising number of improvised sign-language conversations with people you sorta know walking down the street, beware!

Going in, I didn’t have any expectations because I’d never had Moroccan food before. The lady up front suggested the Honey Harissa Chicken Bowl, which contains so-called “Tahini Cabbage,” as well as pickled onions, mixed greens, and taktoukah, finished off with a smoky aioli sauce. I was scared for a moment when she asked me what base I wanted to put everything on, as I thought she was handling all of this ordering business, but I was able to make a big-boy decision and land on saffron rice. For my side, I got the pita chips with taktoukah, and for my dessert, honey msemmen.

Because this restaurant just recently opened, Taktoukah was full of people taking too long to make up their minds about what they want. Inevitably, everyone asked the employees what to order. They all receive the same answer: the Hot Harissa Chicken, either in bowl or in sandwich form. So naturally, I joined along and purchased the Hot Harissa Chicken bowl.

About my order—the smoky aioli sauce was definitely smoky. I think I would have preferred a fresher sauce and taste. Let it be known, though, that I did really enjoy the amount of sauce in the bowl. It was never too dry and always stayed adequately creamy with a good mix or two. I will admit that the Shah’s Brain Worm has infected me such that whenever I get a bowl of chicken and rice, my body is conditioned to expect tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and white sauce. The Hot Harissa Chicken bowl, veering off from those ingredients, proved to my body that other good combinations were possible.

I didn’t immediately realize that “Tahini Cabbage” would be shredded cabbage completely immersed in tahini, but it was great—it added a crunch that the bowl would have been worse without. The pickled onions served a similar role, adding more texture to the dish.

As I was eating, I stared at the “Cucumber Dill Salad” and “Whipped Feta” options on the menu ruefully, knowing that I almost definitely would have preferred getting those I just thought it would be really cool and professional of me as a Food Reviewer to simply ask them what I should get. I’m not completely upset though; I did really enjoy the bowl I got.

My family has a rule that if a restaurant is named after a dish on the menu at least one of us is obligated to get it. Thank God! The taktoukah—which turns out to be roasted red pepper and tomatoes blended with things like paprika, cumin, garlic, and olive oil—was fire. P.S. Google says it might be spelled “taktouka”, but because the restaurant adds an “h” at the end of the word, that’s what I’m going to do too.

It tasted a lot like red shakshuka, another dish I love. The solidly-neutral pita chips do well as a receptacle for the roasted bell peppers, whose flavors dominate the dish. Unfortunately, there were far too many pita chips for the amount of taktoukah they gave me. I recommend asking them to double up on the red stuff.

I was excited for the msemmen, I’d never had the flapjack-y dessert before. It was tasty, but I could imagine better—folded, chewy, warm, and honey-sweet, it was good enough that I wish I could try a grandmother’s homemade version. The thin, folded pancake had a little crunch on the outside but was soft on the inside. While definitely very good, I’m not sure if it’s worth the $7.95 it cost me.

Besides just the aforementioned eye contact with friends (and enemies) through the front window-walls, my Taktoukah experience was rife with other social interactions that I did not completely nail, a few of which shall be described below:

1. I awkwardly tried to make conversation with two friends who shall remain anonymous by dint of me forgetting their names. After hearing one order the exact same thing as me and gushing to the other one that she comes here “all the time.” I had hoped to bond over our Hot Harissa Chicken Bowls, but this was apparently the first time she had ever ordered it. I had intended to embody the Professional Food Journalist in my questions, but due to me not having the time to run through 10 simulations of this interaction in my head prior to contact, I landed on nervous Frosh instead. We chuckled our goodbyes as they took their food to go and I sat down and prepared to eat away my feelings.

1. Besides eating, my time in the restaurant was spent typing up notes for this review in a perfect facsimile of a good student doing his homework. Having barely recovered from that previous battle (conversation), I still had to dig deep and muster up the courage to ask for the Wi-Fi password. After a few rounds of box-breathing, I learned that there isn’t Wi-Fi.

1. I made a “mm” noise a little too loudly when trying my food and noticed the guy beside me sneak a look at me. Full of confidence I shouldn’t have had, I gave him a thumbs-up and smiled. He gave me the universal sign of something being stuck in my teeth, and low and behold, a little stuff came out. No words were exchanged—so much was said.

Ignoring all of the self-inflicted awkwardness of my experience, I’d definitely go back to Taktoukah to try some of their other goodies. So, if you live around the area or want to supplement your Milkcraft ice cream with some protein, check it out. Stay hungry. Peace.

Genre: Fast-casual

Seats around 20-24

Takeout: YES, mostly takeout

Price Range: $11 (Cheapest Entree) ~$20-$25 for entree and a side, not considering drink or dessert

WHAT I ORDERED:

• Honey Harissa Chicken Bowl - $14.95 (contains Tahini Cabbage, Pickled Onions, Mixed Greens, Taktoukah.

Base: Saffron Rice

Sauce: Smokey Aioli