The Eat Club cruises were glorious adventures for our whole family. I remain forever grateful to the countless people who joined us on these excursions. I hope they were as fun for you as they were for us. Before each of these trips, we met for a pre-cruise dinner, at a place featuring the food of one of the ports, if possible.
In 2014 we went on a European cruise which included a stop in Tunis, the capital of the North African country of Tunisia. It just so happens that there is a New Orleans restaurant serving Tunisian food. We booked the dinner at Jamila’s Cafe on Maple St. Uptown.
It has taken us ten years to return to Jamila’s, a plan hatched as we drove around. We were actually looking to visit the new Zoe’s bakery, an outpost of our favorite bakery anywhere. We have been longtime regulars at its original location not far from our home. The owner Shane is very excited about the Maple St. Zoe’s because it is a true “European” bakery. He should know, since his childhood home was Devon, England.
The new Zoe’s had literally just turned on the lights for the first time that day, and we were delighted to partake of only some of their endless baked goods. We had to wait for Jamila’s to open at 5pm, so we drove around snacking on the gigantic chocolate chip scone from Zoe’s.
Moncef Sbaa and his wife Jamila were opening the doors when we arrived. They were thrilled to see Tom, who came into the kitchen with Jamila way back when he was doing the cooking bits on television with chefs. They were most hospitable hosts.
We started with a special salad for the evening. It was grilled eggplant and feta cheese over mixed greens.
We also ordered a soup course, lentils for Tom, and a crawfish bisque with spinach for me. For entrees, Tom got a lamb dish cooked in a tagine, and I had baked salmon with mustard sauce.
The eggplant salad was fresh, like something you'd get from a seaside cafe on the Mediterranean. The salad was dressed with a Balsamic vinaigrette which surprised me because the menu seemed more French-inspired. I was expecting sliced grilled eggplant but these were cubed croutons.
The crawfish bisque was green because of the spinach. Pieces of crawfish studded it throughout. It was thick and creamy and tasty.
Tom’s lentil soup was also very good, but the lentils were beads rather than flat ones we are used to seeing. These were French lentils.
Tom’s lamb Tajine was a thick sauce and tender lamb with vegetables. It came with rice pilaf. Tom is more of a
Lamb lover than I am but this was mild in flavor and wonderfully comforting.
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I had hesitation about getting the salmon because it was baked and I like a hard crust on my fish. It was a large slab of salmon and it was nicely done. The mustard sauce was very good and the vegetables were beautiful. Perfectly cooked broccoli, carrots, and zucchini rounded out this healthy plate. I took half of it home and will sear it hard for a second meal later.
Moncef came to the table to chat. I enjoyed watching him and his wife in the kitchen, and I loved looking around the intimate room. It is exactly like a small European cafe. Humble and welcoming.
People drifted by after the Tulane game. Regulars came in to have dinner. Moncef manned the phone and the dining room, gregariously hosting everyone. It was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening dinner.
