Belly dancing!

My girlfriend and I are members of an eating club that one of our friends organized here in San Francisco. The eating club is a group of friends who take turns hosting meals once a month at restaurants throughout the city. Basically, the purpose of the eating club is to expose us to new and different places in the city that we might not otherwise check out on our own.

Last night, my girlfriend and I jointly 'hosted' a dinner at El Mansour (3119 Clement Street; 415-751-2312) , a traditional Moroccan restaurant in the Outer Richmond district of San Francisco. The food was quite good. First, we started with a tasty lentil soup which was accompanied by wedges of warm bread, followed by a salad plate with an eggplant spread, marinated carrots and cucumbers, and a tomato spread. The salad was followed by bastela, a phyllo dough pastry filled with chicken, almonds, and various spices. Next, came the entrees. My girlfriend had the chicken with preserved lemons and olives, while I opted for the lamb and brochette kabob special. Both dishes were very good. The lamb was stewed and very tender and the chicken was nicely seasoned and roasted. Despite being stuffed by the time dessert came around (all of the meals come with dessert), we still found a little room for banana fritters and a sweet bastela, washing all of it down with mint tea that was masterfully poured by our very attentive waiter.

After the dessert plates were cleared off the table, we were entertained by a belly dancer, who swung around the room and persuaded several restaurant patrons to get up and dance with for a few songs. (Not me, of course.) It was very entertaining. At the end of the night, it seemed like everyone in our group had a fun time, being pretty happy with both the food and the entertainment.

(Edit to add address and phone number.)