Blue Fez — Restaurant in Salem

What a delightful meal! Blue Fez is charming 💙

We were greeted warmly at the entrance! It was scented by spices and cuisine as we were led to our table. Our senses were awakened. The tables were dressed with white table-cloths and cloth napkins. Very nice. Our server lit a candle on our table. The music continued to cast just the right spell on us. It was not too loud inside, and we could carry on conversation with our companions.

Dinner began by sharing the Houmus, with warmed pita triangles surrounding a dip that was smooth and mild, cucumber and radish slices garnished it for visual and textural contrast. I photographed its lovely presentation. After wiping that clean, we did not wait long to be served our individual entrees.

Portions were large and again, presented caringly. There was Tagine of Refissa Falafel (savory falafel + braised lentils on couscous), Tagine Djida (savory chicken with preserved lemons and green olives on couscous) , and Chicken Fassi, (mushrooms, carrots and apricots with a cherry sauce, a sweet and savory on rice).

Each dish had a different aromatic and flavorful combination of spices. No single spice overwhelmed: they were well-balanced layers. Nothing was bland, nothing was too salty. Everyone enjoyed their orders! I tasted each dish: impressed at the execution and marvelously different flavor profiles.

While waiting for our checque, I overheard a guest at the next table remark to her companions the meal was delicious and the best ever she had eaten in a restaurant. It was certainly delicious for us, too.

Our server Zack, could not have been more attentive, and he anticipated all our needs-- just short of cutting up the food and serving it to us! He presented a lovely reveal when he lifted the tagine lids to our steaming entrees with pleasant aromas rising from the dishes.

It was grown-up dinner service, and within the venue there is palpable atmosphere: visually inviting Morrocan decor, various sconces and hanging ceiling lights, a clear sound system playing rhythmic and thematically related music.

If we were not so full from our meals we would have ordered dessert, too, (these items are not in the online menu for takeout).

There is a small bar area at the front entrance. Blue Fez offers interesting cocktails, like a Morrocan Mule (Gin, gingerbeer, mint, fresh lime) and a Fezy Potion (Vodka, shnapps, grapefruit juice). They have a wine list and good beers if you like these to accompany your food, or if you need a place to take a date for a tipple.

Because the entrees upon being served were so entrancing, I didnt get the chance to photograph them: we started eating right away! Allow yourself to dine in and try it yourself. They do offer takeout, but the cuisine together with the venue will give you a wonderful experience. Let this place cast a spell...

We decided to try this place for a birthday dinner. To our surprise, we were some of the only people here on a Friday night, which seemed a bit odd. We ordered beers and a houmus appetizer to start. The houmus was delicious, and the grilled pita was nice. I had ordered a Stella draft, and right away thought our beers had been switched. After trying the other, I realized either the beer was wrong or turning. Being as unsure as I was, I simply drank the beer. We are not the kind of people who complain. We each ordered a tagine main, mine being with chicken and my guest with lamb. Coming out, the orders looked impressive. That's where the excitement ended. The lamb was supposed to be braised, but it was so flavorless and dry that it was hard to believe. It was like the lamb was day old and boiled in water. The chicken in my dish was pounded thin, but there was definitely something off there, also. I kept having to check to make sure it wasn't undercooked, as it had a tough and off texture to it. There were several pieces, and each tasted and felt the same. Very unappealing. The vegetable and sauce part of our dishes was fine, tasted good, and had us both wishing we had gone vegetarian. At this time, I ordered another beer, and to my dismay, I had the same souring taste as the original. I'm still unsure if I was served the incorrect thing/taps were mixed up, or if the beer was the issue. Either way, I confirmed by having a can of the correct beer a day or so later, and im sure there is a problem there. We decided to get a pistachio mouse cake for dessert. My partner liked it, but I was not a fan. To me, it had something sour to it and just wasn't working with the pistachio. All in all, it was a disappointing dinner to have spent almost $150 dollars on to discard our leftovers. (I also wish that someone had informed us that the portions are large because we may have split and entree and ordered more apps). The waitress was very attentive and checked in frequently to see how we were doing. One and done for us. (I only took one photo of the...

I entered this restaurant with high expectations, drawn in by a promising and well-thought-out menu. Unfortunately, the experience was quite different from what I had hoped.

The disappointment began with the mint tea, which reminded me of my first attempts at making tea as a child: flavorless, barely infused, with very little mint. It was simply a failure. The Bastilla, though acceptable, lacked refinement and didn’t fully impress me (and overpriced).

The most disappointing part was the “tajine djaj.” I was surprised to see rice or couscous offered in the dish, an adaptation that, in my opinion, didn’t add anything. But the real issue was the execution: the dish lacked flavor and coherence. The ingredients were poorly cooked, under-seasoned, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, a crucial element was missing—the preserved lemon !!!!! This essential ingredient, which brings depth to Moroccan tajines, was simply absent. What I received was a few coarsely cut vegetables, a scattering of couscous pearls, an undercooked chicken breast, tough snap peas, and, literally, 3 (three) olives. Despite the traditional tajine dish, it bore little resemblance to a real tajine.

The disappointment was compounded by the excessive price of $34 for a dish I could have easily recreated at home, it was literally missing all the important elements. When I brought up these issues to the server, he apologized politely but offered no solution. No gesture was made to compensate for the missing ingredients, and although the server was kind, he struggled to identify the ingredients, even mistaking an onion for the missing preserved lemon.

I wanted to support this restaurant, especially as it represents Moroccan cuisine, which is dear to me, but this experience was deeply disappointing. The absence of such an important element as preserved lemon, combined with inattentive service and an unjustified price, will keep me from coming back. I would have loved to recommend this place, but instead, I will not and will advise others against it.

I hope you will consider...