Jerusalem Restaurant

This month, the Foodie Girls field trip (yes, ladies, I have named our little group) was to Jerusalem Restaurant in Falls Church. It's in this random, sideways strip mall that's actually really close to my work. I would have never noticed it if it wasn't for Anita. But, being that it was ethnic food in a strip mall, I had high hopes.

I would say that these high hopes were modestly met. We started our dining adventures with two types of hummus--plain and topped with chicken shwarma--and a combo pie, which was a sampler of the savory pastries the restaurant appears to be known for (judging from their website and the spread at the restaurant, it looks like pastries of all types are their raison d'etre). The hummus was good, nothing unexpected. I liked the shwarma topping...the chicken was not overcooked, and dressed with some burny-tasting saucing...and we all know how much I love burny things! The combo pie was really disappointing. The pastries themselves were dry and not flavorful, and the insides were totally meh. The plate also came with a single fried kibbeh ball, which was much better. Crispy on the outside, warm and not at all mealy on the inside.

Throughout the apps and entrees, we also got endless baskets of pita. These were poofed up buns that taste reminiscent of pizza dough, like the kind you get at Zaytinya but more substantial. I think I ate at least two.

For our entrees, we ordered the lamb shank, vegetarian makluba, and musakhan, the last at the recommendation of many Yelpers! The lamb shank came in a stew of white beans and spinach. It was super tender, again with dark flavors. Absolutely delicious and definitely the best thing we ordered. The vegetarian makluba was...eh. The rice was well-cooked, but I prefer the seasoned rice at Bamian (I know this wasn't Afghan food, but still), and it was, I think, overly greasy. Although the eggplant in it was yummy, the cauliflower and carrot added nothing. The musakhan was pretty good. A quarter chicken covered with sauteed onions on a piece of deep-fried flat bread. The chicken was tender, but again, a bit greasy. I expected the bread to be greasy, and it was, but in a different way. Deliciously, sinfully, greasy. I hated myself for every bite of it, but it was totally worth the self-contempt!

After all that we were pretty stuffed, but of course, I had to go for dessert. I got a kinafa to go, which was this weird gelatinousy custard square topped with a layer of sweet carrot stuff and then crispy shredded carrot and chopped pistachio on top. Although I wasn't sure what to think about the first bite, it grew on me. It was a strange mixture of salty and sweet, mushy and crispy that I apparently learned to love enough to eat half of a 9 square inch piece in one sitting.

Overall assessment. Not bad. Don't expect to eat healthy, and don't expect to be blown away. But if you're looking to indulge calorically in some Palestinian food, this is a pretty good bet. And it's certainly not a money indulgence...including tax and tip, we only paid $13 each! (portions x-posted to yelp.com)