Poccadio Grill

A friend of mine has been singing the praises of Poccadio Grill ever since she tried it, so with an open mind and an empty stomach, I stopped by yesterday evening to give it a try.

I must admit I was a little skeptical when I walked in and saw the counter at the back the restaurant with an '"Order Here" sign, and a menu that seemed a little confusing (and intimidating) for a first-timer. No need to worry though, as I stared at the menu with an open mouth and confused look in my eye, the gentleman behind the counter immediately came over and asked "Is this your first time here?" Upon saying yes, he told me all first timers got the sampler plate before they ordered, and after asking if I had any allergies, spent the next few minutes talking about each dish and putting together a plate full of food for me. When he was done, he handed me the plate and told me to go sit down, try everything, and then come back up and order. Talk about a great idea.. however, since I liked everything I tried, I was still at a loss on what to get, but I approached the counter where he was ready to help me decipher what I liked to put together a meal for me.

There are two types of dishes here.. a meal, which is about $12, or a sandwich, which is just under $10. I chose the meal with saffron rice, schwarma and an amazing cilantro sauce that was just as wonderful by itself as it was slathered on everything else. I also had a side of hummus, which was advertised as "the best hummus you've ever had" and did not disappoint.

Everything is prepared from scratch, and during my visit, they were beginning to run out of some of the more popular items, but they did a great job of refilling things very quickly, and nothing was out for more than an couple of minutes.

My only complaint is that the soft drinks are cans.. I personally think a Coke FreeStyle machine would be a great addition here. Some of the sauces are quite hot, and it's easy to drink down an entire can pretty quickly.

I have only eaten here a few times but each time I came the staff was really friendly and inviting. I love the food! It's so fresh! This is the only place I can go to and eat a spinach salad that makes my tongue turn green! Like, I just ate a green jolly rancher! Real, fresh food!

So I had a vision of what I thought Poccadio would look like inside - I was pretty off. Not in a bad way, but in a "this is a Moroccan Subway more than a Saffron plated experience." I like the way Chef Sentessi's restaurants compliment eachother. I wish I would have ran into a sandwich shop of this nature when I was in Marrakesh.

Let's talk about the food: When it comes to salad bars and topping options - I'm the gal who fills her plate till it's overflowing on the sides. I want it all. As was the case with Poccadio's sandwich fillings. Feta, red pepper paste, kalamata olives, hummus, spinach spread, tasty this, tasty that, mystery this, mystery that. All tucked away in a caraway seed loaf (as recommended by the very friendly and helpful sandwich artist). My sandwich started out as the vegetarian Atlas - but I seem to have a way of making vegetarian/healthy meals unhealthy with blobs of cheese and such. Please note, this sandwich is enormous - could easily be split between two people with dessert ;)

And, because I lack any form of self control, I had to go for the Moroccan baklava - so, what made it different from other types like baklava? This particular version had a dynamic combination pistachios, sesame seeds, and walnuts. The sesame seeds are what sets it apart the most. I dare say, I may fancy the Moroccan version over the Greek.

Lastly, make sure you check in on the Yelp app to claim your free hot/cold mint tea!