Marrakesh: and a tale of Zid Zid designer Julie Klear's birthday

It was a special day, a surprise birthday party kind of day.  So I wore some jeweled sandals and headed over to Delphine Warin & Souhail Tazi's Marrakesh house.

(Delphine and Souhail's house is filled with cozy treasures.)

We were all waiting for birthday girl Julie Klear to arrive so we could jump out and shriek Happy Birthday!  (Ahem, that's exactly what we did).

Julie was so surprised.  She recovered in the garden with her husband Moulay and with a sugar rimmed hibiscus flower cocktail that we brought from Peacock Pavilions.  

Souhail had made a warming birthday meal and we tucked in on the terrace!  (From the left, French lighting designer Laurence Landon, Me, Lise of Palm Pilates, and Julie.)

And of course there was birthday cake that husband Moulay had snuck in.

Served on the perfect plates!

 

It began to grow chilly and more layers were added.  Some in the group got creative, for example, with this live puppy hat.

 The party moved inside and there was some raucous birthday drinking and dancing! 

Julie, you're a girl who always has a star shining overhead, no matter where you are!

Marrakesh: and a tale of a Scary Party

He was turning 12 and he was too cool for school.  I don't want a Halloween party, Mom, he said.  I want a Scary Party.  No costumes, just scary.  

Oh, I said.  Okay, I said.  

Well, his sister disagreed.  And promptly became Cleopatra.  

And she found a goblin

 to do her bidding.  

In baskets, there were shrouds.....

for wrapping mummies.

Of course, there were those who refused embalming.

Guests were forced to eat poison apples with their hands tied behind their backs.

The only antidote could be found in eyeball cupakes (ahem, real eyeballs, of course).

There was a tug of war with visiting ghouls...

Before dinner was cooked on the firey embers of hell.

And then a viewing of The Mummy in the Peacock Pavilions outdoor cinema.  A bonfire was roaring and there was much toasting of marshmellows.

Guests were given handmade CDs with extra scary music as favors.

But the scariest part at this Scary Party was that the girls were wearing bras.   (I'm in so much trouble, I can see it now!)  Not to mention that the birthday boy was given fake cigarettes as a birthday gift (?!).  What if....what if one day they're real?

Pepe Nero restaurant: or a tale of where to dine in Italian style in Marrakech

I spent a year of graduate school in Italy and I'll never forget it. The beautiful clothes, the beautiful men, the beautiful food.  Ah, it was all so very lovely.....  

Pepe Nero brings it all back to me.  Because in addition to Moroccan dishes, it's all about Italian.   But this time in a Moroccan riad deep in the Marrakesh medina.  Could it be a blend of two of my very favorite cultures?  Why yes......

The courtyard fountains filled with roses..........

And the cozy little side salons with handmade zellij mosaic tilework and seating on Moroccan banquettes.

But it's the food that impressed me the most, yes, the food.  Chef Khalid is so talented.  The pastas are all made from scratch.  The saffron risotto is sublime. And there are the sweetest little appetizers.

And did I mention the staff?  Darling.  

Ci vediamo presto!

Pepe Nero

17, Derb Cherkaoui - Douar Graoua Marrakech

Phone : 00212 (0) 524 389067
contact@pepenero-marrakech.com
www.pepenero-marrakech.com

Lunch: 12:00 - 2:30, Dinner 7:30 - 11:00, Closed Monday

The Djellabar bar: or a tale of where to drink in Marrakech

It was late and we were three girls out in Marrakech, without our husbands.  It could mean only one thing: trouble {cough}.  We headed to the Djellabar, a new spot in Marrakesh for eating and drinking. {And did I mention drinking?}

Djellabar is in a converted Moroccan marriage hall.  Moroccan mosaic zellij tile and sculpted geps plaster work cover the walls.  Fantastic. And there are fun paintings of Elvis, Bob Marley, Oum Kalthoum and more wearing Moroccan fez hats.  

Even the king is there.

Soon it was crowded. There were people at the Moroccan patterned bar.

And others dancing and generally having a plain old good time.

 We thought the owners were adorable.  This is Claude. He's a DJ with several Paris nightclubs under his belt.

And we couldn't take our eyes off of Claude's beautiful love, Fadwa. 

And then there were the Djellabar drinks, served up on hand incised tables.  They had names like Moroccan Love Potion and Oriental Hibiscus Nectar (Or something like that. My head was a little fuzzy, you see.)

{Did I mention the drinks?} Oy.

Djellabar, Marrakech's new hot spot, owned by Claude Challe and Stephane Atlas

Villa Bougainvillée, 2 rue Abou Hanifa,
Hivernage, Marrakech

Cocktails at about 100 dirhams.