Photos | Drew Lazor

Argan, a week-old restaurant at 132 S. 17th St. (215-873-6552), was described to me as a “Moroccan El Fuego,” a reference to the reliable burrito rollers who hold it down at Seventh and Walnut and 21st and Chestnut. I could not really wrap my around what that meant so I popped in last night to check it out for myself.

Owner Mounir Draissi’s Philly restaurant CV reads like an Old City nightlife directory: Tangerine, Cuba Libre, five years at Rococo (now Cebu). He most recently worked as director of operations for Bonte. Argan (that’s a bushy tree native to Morocco), which was formerly a deli-type establishment called 17th & Sandwich, specializes in fast, affordable Moroccan-style sandwiches ($6.99) and salads ($7.99).

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Here’s where that Fuego Factor comes in: When ordering at the counter, choose your halal meat (slow-cooked lamb, roasted chicken, Moroccan meatballs, smoked salmon, etc.) and veggie options (roasted peppers, white beans, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, etc.). Your picks are stuffed into fresh Moroccan whole-wheat flat bread. Nicoise, beet and cous cous salads; veggie sandwich fillings include hummus and zaaluk, or roasted eggplant purée. Full menu at right.

They’ll focus on the quick-serve lunch and dinner style for right now, but Draissi says he hopes to introduce a separate menu for BYOers in the next few months.

Argan Moroccan Cuisine, 132 S. 17th St., 215-873-6552. Open  Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; closed Sun.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 9:15 am and is filed under Openings, Vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.