{Orange cake with warm dates and sesame glaze at Baida}
The Scoop reported in early July that a Moroccan restaurant was coming to South Grand. Since then, husband and wife owners Abder and Assia Meskine have been busy readying the space and developing the menu for their ethnic eatery, Baida.
Those looking to get a first taste of Baida can do so tomorrow when doors at 3191 S. Grand Blvd., open to the public. The dinner menu is divided into appetizers, soups, touajen and other entrees, brochettes (grilled skewers), couscous dishes and desserts. Food options are plentiful for carnivores and vegetarians alike. While the majority of the menu reflects traditional Moroccan cookery, the dessert menu, which holds items such as Moroccan fig cheesecake and mint ice cream drizzled with warmed Nutella in an almond cookie basket, displays a more modern interpretation of the cuisine from this North African nation. Lunch service, slated to begin Sept. 9, includes a buffet offering.
The Meskines immigrated to the U.S. from Morocco last year. The dishes cooked up at Baida, which means “white” in Arabic, reflect recipes that Assia Mekine prepared in her home in their native Casablanca. During the last few weeks, Assia has been imparting her knowledge of Moroccan cuisine to Baida’s executive chef Jeremy Bowman. Angela Komis, Bowman’s wife and the former kitchen manager at now defunct Local Harvest Café & Catering in Kirkwood, has come aboard to assist behind the bar. Baida expects to have its liquor license in hand in the next few weeks. In the meantime, Komis is developing the cocktail menu, which will highlight Moroccan flavors in a glass.
This article appears in September 2013.