Aleta Thompson

If you have a taste for the exotic, but are nervous about making a trip outside the country, may I suggest that you journey north of Ballard and tie your camel outside the KASBAH AUTHENTIC MOROCCAN RESTAURANT. Step inside this establishment and you are immediately transported to Marrakesh where fez-wearing waiters tend to your culinary demands. Ever since trying cous cous at an Algerian cafe in Paris when I was 20, I have loved the cusine of North Africa. The idea of mixing the sweet with the savory has always intrigued me, and the Kasbah pays tribute to this tradition with it's many delicious entrees such as lamb with prunes. For under $30 the Kasbah serves a traditional feast of five courses. My favorite is always the B'stilla, with its hot steamy interior of shredded chicken, raisins, pine nuts and spices bursting out of a crispy filo crust sprinkled with powdered sugar. Heaven! Travel to the Kasbah, friends, and Hassan and his friendly staff might just have you imagining that you are a sultan for the evening.