Food review: Amanouz Cafe
Kate Robinson
Issue date: 10/31/02 Section: Features
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The tasty Amanouz Café, which has been in existence for about six years, specializes in Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine.
The small café has an easy, mellow atmosphere. It's a great place to grab a pre-movie humos sandwich or to sit and talk over a cup of a coffee and tasty baklava.
When I ate at Amanouz a few Friday evenings ago, I ordered the falafel, which is a vegetarian sandwich stuffed with a veggie burger, salad, onions, tomatoes and cucumber, all mixed up with spicy tahini sauce. I opted for a pita, but this sandwich can also be served in a lavash. The falafel was excellent, a medley of spices and flavors, a perfect complement to the tahini. If you don't like spiciness, be warned. The tahini is flavorful, but nothing like the yogurt cucumber tzatziki sauce of gyros. This is definitely hotter and more exotic. My meat-eating companion ordered the lamb shish kabob, a sandwich of charbroiled marinated lamb, broiled tomatoes, parsley, onions, lettuce and tahini sauce in a thin lavash. Both entrees came in at under six dollars, mine being $4.95 and his $5.75.
I went in a couple of days later to chat with the owner and grab some baklava. The tasty filo pastry was choc full of nuts and honey, well worth the dollar-fifty I paid. The owner, Abid Assab is Moroccan. "I wanted something for Northampton, something different."
According to the Assab, the food is "mostly vegetarian…no dairy and the soups are vegetarian or vegan."
In addition to having great food, Amanouz has a public conscience. I asked Assab about the colorful art on the walls. I noticed that it had changed since I had been there last. "Every month it changes. It helps local artists. I don't get paid for it. It's hard for them to find a place sometimes." The bright décor adds to the café's funky feeling. Amanouz also offers Thursday night French nights, when people can gather at the café and speak French together. Assab says he'll introduce people to one another if they are new. "It's a way for people to get to know one another."
So if you're in the mood for good falafel or a sweet Moroccan desert, head to Amanouz. And if you're feeling French, give Thursday night a try.
The small café has an easy, mellow atmosphere. It's a great place to grab a pre-movie humos sandwich or to sit and talk over a cup of a coffee and tasty baklava.
When I ate at Amanouz a few Friday evenings ago, I ordered the falafel, which is a vegetarian sandwich stuffed with a veggie burger, salad, onions, tomatoes and cucumber, all mixed up with spicy tahini sauce. I opted for a pita, but this sandwich can also be served in a lavash. The falafel was excellent, a medley of spices and flavors, a perfect complement to the tahini. If you don't like spiciness, be warned. The tahini is flavorful, but nothing like the yogurt cucumber tzatziki sauce of gyros. This is definitely hotter and more exotic. My meat-eating companion ordered the lamb shish kabob, a sandwich of charbroiled marinated lamb, broiled tomatoes, parsley, onions, lettuce and tahini sauce in a thin lavash. Both entrees came in at under six dollars, mine being $4.95 and his $5.75.
I went in a couple of days later to chat with the owner and grab some baklava. The tasty filo pastry was choc full of nuts and honey, well worth the dollar-fifty I paid. The owner, Abid Assab is Moroccan. "I wanted something for Northampton, something different."
According to the Assab, the food is "mostly vegetarian…no dairy and the soups are vegetarian or vegan."
In addition to having great food, Amanouz has a public conscience. I asked Assab about the colorful art on the walls. I noticed that it had changed since I had been there last. "Every month it changes. It helps local artists. I don't get paid for it. It's hard for them to find a place sometimes." The bright décor adds to the café's funky feeling. Amanouz also offers Thursday night French nights, when people can gather at the café and speak French together. Assab says he'll introduce people to one another if they are new. "It's a way for people to get to know one another."
So if you're in the mood for good falafel or a sweet Moroccan desert, head to Amanouz. And if you're feeling French, give Thursday night a try.