Best cous cous?

A friend of mine that mistakenly believes I'm the go to guy for all things edible asked me the above question. Of course I am not and do not have a clue on this one and will defer to LTH as I so often do. She wants to have a party in her home and order some cous to take out for it.

Suggestions please?

I'll go with Mrs. Marlene Tuttle's, of Hyde Park (wife of Professor Russell Tuttle, the distinguished paleoanthropologist).

In an actual restaurant, Marrakech on Ashland (1413 N.) has knocked both couscous and harira out of the park for me, but I haven't been there in a year and hope it's still there.

They sell cous cous at the prepared foods counter of Fox & Obel. I've seen it, but never tasted it, so I can't vouch for the quality. They might sell it at Whole Foods as well, but again, I've never tried it.

I may be missing something, but if your friend is just looking for cous cous, couldn't she just make some? I'm a quinoa gal myself. When I have cous cous, it's usually a sweet preparation for breakfast, but I've made this recipe with harissa once, and it was delicious. The squash makes it a nice autumn dish.

It's a large party and she wants to bring in the food. Plus she wants it to be wonderful. Getting a special order of grape leaves from Salam etc... I'm out of town until that afternoon or I'd offer.

Hashalom makes traditional Moroccan couscous on weekends and I do believe they can accommodate a party.

Best,
Michael

While I have not been there in a while, I recall that Marrakech Espresso on Damen, just south of Lawrence, makes a pretty good couscous. It strikes me that the folks there would be happy to work on a large take out order seeing as the restaurant sometimes seems a bit quiet.

Café Marrakech Espresso
4747 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 271-4541

Ultimately though, I have not found a place in Chicago - or in the States for that matter - that makes a delicious rendition of this dish. Maybe the problem is that I am looking for the French version of morrocan couscous, which is scumptious. How I long for a big plate of couscous grains rolled and separated by hand served with the requisite bowl of vegetables and broth, the accompanying platter of grilled meats (merguez, beef meatballs, lamb and beef skewers, chicken), and the tray of accoutrement (chickpeas, raisins, harissa to dissolve in the broth...). Hmmmmmmmmmm