The Fez Showcases Moroccan-Inspired Cuisine In Stamford

Earlier this week, I attended a press dinner at The Fez, which is owned by Bharat Patel and Eric Monte and located in the heart of the Summer Street restaurant row in Stamford. This friendly fellow on the opposite side of the street was watching who came and went.

The body language of some who had other plans for the evening still revealed their curiosity about this Moroccan-inspired restaurant open just a short while.

My fellow members of the food press and I met up at the bar.

There, Monte gave us the rundown on this intriguing new eatery.

We were offered drinks and snacks like these crisped chick peas and okra,

these grilled marinated cerignola olives,

and these saag and Feta rolls (similar to spanakopita but better) served with kalamata olives.

The use of the term saag reveals something about The Fez—that its food isn’t always classic Moroccan but rather Moroccan-inspired, with influences from all along the traditional Spice Route, including India, Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

While my compatriots socialized,

I snapped a couple of photos of the interior. This window table was probably my favorite perch,

with this fez sitting on the window sill,

but I liked the entire dining space.

After enjoying our drinks and snacks, we adjourned to a long dining table and got comfortable.

At each place setting was a guide to the delights to come.

There was also blunt saber lying on the table.

Monte sabered off the top of a bottle of Casteller Cava-Brut, which I attempted to catch with the “burst” function of my smaller camera.

And soon, we had Cava being poured for us after being opened by this method supposedly invented by Napoleon’s returning troops celebrating a battlefield victory.

I began with the sabered Cava, but later enjoyed a Bordeaux-like Lebanese wine and a South African Pinotage. The wines were great fun, but I know you want to hear about the food. And food there was aplenty! We began with an amuse course with caramelized cauliflower, golden raisins and toasted pine nuts

as well as pizzet Aroub, which was topped with braised onion, sumac and pine nuts.

Then the restaurant rolled out several small plates, including a lovely mixed green salad with orange blossom vinaigrette and grilled artichoke,

incredibly flavorful grilled marinated chicken lollipops

and spiced lamb chops with anchovy bread crumbs and stone ground mustard,

the Fez burger (which I absolutely loved) made with ground lamb and beef, topped with roasted vegetables and served with fries,

delicious shrimp and turkey kebabs,

and a lively harira soup with tomato and lentils.

After the small plates came—the large plates! There were two types of tagine (food braised in a traditional clay pot):

a meatball tagine (with pita bread pictured in the background)

and a swordfish tagine with saffron couscous and cracked green olives.

There was also seven-spiced sirloin with tomato jam and fingerling potatoes.

And finally, there was a classic Moroccan chicken bastilla with a wonderful pastry crust.

Desserts were equally intriguing. We enjoyed fried ice cream,

briwat (similar to baklava),

and a cheese plate with dried fruit, honeycomb, assorted nuts and sea-salted chocolate.

We accompanied our desserts with a glass of white port.

Kudos for a great job done by Indian executive chef Shelby Gopinath

and his kitchen cohorts.

The Fez is a place that takes its entertainment almost as seriously as food. On Fridays, you may encounter belly dancers sashaying around the place. Unfortunately, the press dinner wasn’t scheduled for a Friday. Interesting music acts may also be playing. And there are even nights where customers are welcome to bring their own vinyl, which led on this occasion to old Beach Boy’s tunes, Donna Summer, and many others. There was even a colorful disco light swirling around, which I photographed at slow speed.

So thanks to great food, drinks, atmosphere and activites, I’d like to tip my hat to the folks at The Fez!

The Fez, 227 Summer Street, Stamford, 203-975-0479