5/5 Kenneth Tangerois3 M. 3 years ago on Google
If
you
are
looking
for
a
nostalgic
and
beautiful
place
to
eat
and
drink
while
in
Casablanca,
Morocco,
then
look
no
farther
than
Rick’s
Café.
It
is,
as
the
name
implies,
inspired
by
the
classic
black
and
white
film
“Casablanca”,
filmed
in
1942
with
the
leading
actors
Humphrey
Bogart
and
Ingrid
Bergman,
plus
Peter
Lorre
and
others.
This
exceptional
restaurant
and
bar
is
located
a
short
distance
from
Casa
Port
train
station,
but
it
is
advisable
to
take
a
small
petit
taxi
rather
than
walk.
I
decided
to
have
an
early
lunch
(Rick’s
Café
opens
at
12:00
noon)
before
a
2
o’clock
appointment.
Various
reviews
have
ranked
this
restaurant
as
one
of
the
best
in
the
city.
I
didn’t
want
a
huge
lunch,
and
after
glancing
at
the
menu
I
decided
to
order
a
pasta
dish:
Tagliatelle
Alfredo
with
thin
slices
of
duck
in
a
cream
sauce,
with
a
bowl
of
freshly
grated
Parmesan
cheese
on
the
side.
I
sat
on
the
lower
level
facing
the
piano
under
the
octagonal
glass
domed
ceiling
three
stories
above
me,
from
which
nine
lanterns
are
hung.
The
room
had
three
Moroccan
arches
on
each
side,
and
the
main
green
marble
topped
bar
is
off
to
one
side.
The
soaring
ceiling
reminded
me
of
the
Tiffin
Room
inside
Raffles
Hotel
in
Singapore.
Within
10
minutes,
the
efficient
and
polite
English-speaking
waiter
brought
my
food
to
my
table
which
was
beautifully
set
up
with
a
pepper
mill,
salt
shaker
and
a
black
cotton
tablecloth.
The
waiter
also
brought
a
separate
bowl
of
absolutely
delicious
mixed
vegetables:
thinly-sliced
carrots,
perfect
green
beans
and
zucchini,
all
sautéed
in
garlic
and
with
bits
of
parsley,
and
slightly
al
dente.
One
clear
indicator
of
a
superior
restaurant
is
that
the
freshly
baked
bread
is
warm,
and
it
was
placed
on
a
separate
bread
plate
with
a
gleaming
butter
knife.
There
was
a
small
round
bowl
of
butter
at
room
temperature.
I
only
ordered
a
half
bottle
of
mineral
water,
but
the
attentive
waiter
discreetly
poured
it
into
my
glass
and
refilled
it
several
times.
I
was
delighted
to
have
chosen
Rick’s
Café
and
you
can
be
sure
that
I’ll
be
back
every
time
I’m
in
Casablanca.
The
interiors
of
Rick's
Café
were
rendered
by
the
late
famed
interior
designer
and
architect
Bill
Willis,
and
they
are
reminiscent
of
scenes
from
the
film
"Casablanca".
Willis
was
born
in
Memphis,
Tennessee
but
before
age
20
he
moved
to
Rome,
then
Paris
and
the
south
of
France,
until
he
settled
in
Morocco,
first
in
Tangier
in
1961.
Willis
eventually
moved
to
Marrakech
where
he
lived
and
worked
for
40
years
until
his
death
in
2009,
designing
interiors
for
the
fabulous
homes
of
Yves
Saint
Laurent,
John
Paul
Getty,
Jr.
and
Alain
Delon,
among
others.
All
of
the
staff
of
uniformed
waiters
and
bartenders
at
Rick's
Café
are
efficient
and
polite
and
they
provide
immaculate
service.
The
food
is
generous,
fresh
and
attractively
presented,
and
there
is
a
good
variety
on
the
menu
to
choose
from,
with
daily
specials
and
a
Sunday
Brunch.
There
is
an
extensive
wine
selection
and
beers
and
cocktails.
You
will
always
find
something
that
you
can
easily
afford.
Reservations
are
not
required
and
credit
cards
are
accepted.
A
10%
tip
is
automatically
added
to
your
bill,
but
since
I
was
very
pleased
with
everything,
I
left
an
extra
generous
tip
for
good
service.
Before
leaving,
the
bartender
asked
if
I
would
write
some
message
in
a
special
red
leather
guest
book
at
the
end
of
the
marble
bar.
I
had
mentioned
to
him
how
I
had
known
the
restaurant's
late
founder,
Kathy
Kriger.
We
had
several
friends
in
common,
including
Joe
McPhillips
III
and
the
talented
designer
of
Rick’s
Café,
Bill
Willis.
Kathy
was
also
an
admirer
of
the
expatriate
writer
and
composer
Paul
Bowles,
a
friend
and
neighbor
of
mine
in
Tangier.
Rick's
Café
does
have
a
dress
code:
no
shorts,
T-shirts
or
backpacks
here.
The
air-conditioned
restaurant
and
bar
is
upscale
and
elegant.
While
tourists
do
eat
here,
Rick's
Café
is
most
definitely
not
a
"tourist
trap",
but
rather
one
of
the
most
attractive
and
best
restaurants
in
Casablanca
and
in
all
Morocco.
You
will
have
fond
memories
after
your
fine
dining
experience
at
Rick’s
Café.
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