Update 3/10: good news Al Dente fans, it looks like they are not going to close up shop after all. They’re just moving to the Ix Building. But the owner says a Moroccan place is still in the works.

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It looks like Ristorante Al Dente on the Mall, right above Escafé , is trading in its supply of fresh basil and garlic for cumin, tumeric, and saffron. Dish has learned that chef/owner Karim Sellam is setting up shop in the Ix Building, and will be opening as a Moroccan restaurant at the end of April. While Sellam worked for years for some of Piazza San Marco’s finest restaurants, he is Morrocan after all, it appears he is going to return to his roots.

And that’s exciting news for foodies, considering there are precious few Moroccan restaurants in town (Dish counts one, Aromas). And that has always been a shame. One of our favorite restaurants in Paris is L’Homme Bleu, a Moroccan restaurant in the 11th on rue Jean-Pierre Timbau, where the intense blend of spices and exotic decor, plus the joy of using bread as a utensil, always makes it a special treat.

Meanwhile, the owners of Escafé are planning to open an upscale restaurant in the Al Dente space called, well, The Upstairs. Stay tuned.