AZIZA

I first wrote about Aziza some years ago, lauding it for breaking the formulaic mold into which local Moroccan restaurants seemed to have fallen—the menu of one indistinguishable from that of another. Aziza introduced new and remarkable dishes which I assumed reflected an evolution of Moroccan cuisine, based on my dining at the classic Parisian example Timgad, but I didn’t really know because I’ve never been to Morocco except for a brief cruise stopover in Casablanca. But in the course of a recent extended stay in Paris, we discovered the quite wonderful Mansouria, surely the flagship of contemporary North African cuisine in that city, and it prepared us for a brand-new experience at Aziza. Gone is the central-casting Moroccan décor, replaced by a subtly lighted taupe-brown theme, and gone are the irrelevant belly dancers. The front room is quieter and more atmospheric than the back; you should reserve your table there.

But the big news at Aziza is the evolution of the menu, much more in the spirit of what we found at Mansouria in Paris, and way beyond the repetitive. Executive Chef and owner Mourad Lahlou (with a PBS series reportedly in the works) is responsible for that.

An ideal dinner for two might begin with Za’atar, a grilled flatbread, gently seasoned with sumac, and when cut into triangles becomes the perfect scoop for Navy Beans mixed with feta and oregano, topped with a crispy bread-crumb crust and presented in a steaming small crock. You could also dip the bread into an unusually complex, mahogany-hued Lentil Soup, its tomato base enlivened with the spicy Moroccan harissa and texturally enhanced by diced celery and dates. A classic tablemate at this point would be the quintessentially Moroccan B’stilla (here Basteeya, perhaps for phonetics), a phyllo pie stuffed with seasoned minced squab. On these shores, chicken almost always plays the part of squab. as here, and although the phyllo pastry in Aziza’s version is airy, flaky and faultless, the filling is unfortunately bland. Perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but other versions we’ve enjoyed have been more flavory. For a principal course, you as likely to be as pleased as we were by Petrale Sole, presented as two rectangles of pan-seared fish topped and based on a vinaigrette made more substantial by the presence of tiny ‘beach’ mushrooms (resembling enotake or enoki, but much tinier), the greens of baby spring onions, slivered almonds, capers and raisins. A triumph!

Also not to miss: tiny, tasty lamb meatballs interspersed on skewera with equally small grapes and onions, the skewers arrayed over a bed of julienned jicama tinted green with minced parsley.

Vitals: 3800 Geary Blvd. @ 22nd Ave.; 415-752-2222; web www.aziza-sf.com; dinner 5:30-10:30 Wed-Mon, cl Tu; parking can be difficult, and valet is a pricey $10.