Casablanca

By Catherine McGarry Miller + photos by Kevin C. Groen

Christmas carols aside, Jerusalem is not currently known for its harmony. But for Jesse Musa, chef and owner of Casablanca, it was a place that lived up to its Hebraic name: �yerusha shalem,� or heritage of peace. Musa recalls his hometown as a pleasant, beautiful city where he and his family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.

�My family was Muslim. We went to public school with Christians and Muslims together. There was no difficulty,� he recalls, �because everyone grew up together in the same neighborhood. We didn�t see any difference between Muslims and Christians. We all believed in God. I didn�t see the differences until I came here [to the United States].� Musa avoids the conflict by viewing the news like a dieter looks at dessert: a monthly indulgence at best.

Musa�s father and grandfather owned a restaurant and pastry shop. From the age of 10, Musa helped his father after school. �It [cooking] was something secure that I could make a living on and I love it. I�m happy with my job � it�s lots of hours but I enjoy it.�

In 1971, at the age of 20, Musa came to the United States with his father and worked for several years at the Syrian Bakery in Chicago before moving to Milwaukee where several of his older brothers had already settled. Musa ran a couple of neighborhood groceries before opening the Sahara Inn on Mitchell Street in 1987, which he later renamed Casablanca.

Musa built his menu on the rich tradition of Middle Eastern recipes perfected by his father and grandfather. Lunchtimes, Musa served a large vegetarian buffet with lentil soup, falafel, a dozen salads, five or six hot entrees and baklava for dessert. I generally don�t recommend buffets, which too often rely on mass quantities of mediocre food, but Musa�s cornucopia of fresh and flavorful delights has always been an exception for me.

Throughout his years in business, Musa maintained consistently high quality food at reasonable prices. His lamb and chicken dishes are excellent. Once a friend of mine and I each enjoyed his Lamb Kifta Kabob so much, we ordered a third one to share.

�I am very patient with food,� Musa muses. �I give it the time it needs to be cooked, I don�t rush my food. Maybe it takes more time, but it has to be right.� And it is.

In 1993, Musa moved to Oakland Avenue in Shorewood, but by 1996, he was back in his original location on Mitchell Street. His customers happily followed his peripatetic business. Three years ago, Musa retired and closed his much-loved restaurant. That might have been the happy ending to a success story if it were not for his children.

Musa�s son Alla said, �I tried Middle Eastern [food] everywhere while father was closed but found nothing like my father�s cooking. Maybe I�m prejudiced, but � we grew up in the restaurant business. Dad had a great reputation and his cuisine is incredible, so we began looking for a new location.�

They settled on the refurbished site of Tarantino�s Beyond the Sea. Though more recent tenants have not fared well in the spot, Musa�s clients have flocked to his culinary Mecca since it reopened on October 4th. The atmosphere is more upscale than Mitchell Street, with deep red brocade curtains, dark wood tables and chairs, recessed lighting and contemporary paintings of dessert scenes, dunes, oases and camels.

What�s important is that Jesse hasn�t lost his touch � the food is great. The staff is all about customer service, regularly checking your needs. The water level never drops in your glass.

The lunch buffet is back and a bargain at $6.95. I especially recommend vegans make the Hajj (Arabic for sacred journey), since everything but the cucumber yogurt salad is vegan. Musa�s lightly dressed cabbage salad, creamy eggplant Babaghannoj, tangy turnip pickles, the daily eggplant casserole and potatoes in tahini (sesame) sauce are among my favorites. This buffet exemplifies traditional Middle Eastern breakfast and lunch fare, which is largely vegetarian accented with lemon wedges and raw onions. People who eat raw onions for breakfast are my kind of people.

The dinner menu includes beef, lamb and chicken entrees. The highly aromatic food is complimented with rose-scented lemonade, mint tea and fragrant cardamom-flavored Turkish coffee. Casablanca offers a full bar, plus belly dancing and Middle Eastern music on weekends. The restaurant has wheelchair access and that rarest of Brady Street treasures � its own parking lot.  VS