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The Moroccan eats and beats at this spot liven up a cheerless wedge of north Murray Hill near the blackened mouth of the Midtown tunnel. Casaville is small but spirited, with a red awning, sunflowers in a clay pot on the wooden bar, Moorish-style arches, and gauzy curtains. Moroccan chef-owner Lahcen Ksiyer, formerly of Cafe Noir, has developed a menu that zigzags “from Morocco to France to Spain.” Briwat, crisp triangles of filo dough layered with chicken and almonds, are dusted in powdered sugar and cinnamon. The tagines arrive in a finger-scalding heavy clay bowl bubbling with tender lamb shank or juicy chicken with plump peas, along with curls of preserved lemon – a signature Moroccan touch. As darkness descends, so do the crowds, who get frisky on red Moroccan wine as Middle Eastern tunes thump into the night. — AnneLise Sorensen

Briwatts, $18; lamb tagine, $19