Yes, it’s a butcher shop. And no, it’s not especially appetizing to think about that as you dine—or, for that matter, to hear the sound of a blade cutting through a piece of meat. Just remember that the reason those lamb chops are so good and cheap is because owner Kheder Rababeh owns both the restaurant and the butcher (and a slaughterhouse in Warrenton).
Chops—$16.75 for six pieces with rice and salad—are just one of the variations on lamb; there’s also the marvelous fateh ($10.75), which submerges soft hunks of braised lamb in tangy yogurt and adds crunch in the form of fried pita chips. Smoked Cornish hens ($9.45), a sometime special, are always a worthy choice, and don’t pass up the baba ghanoush ($5.45), the smokiest and fluffiest rendition we’ve tasted.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
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Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
