Of the handful of Yemeni restaurants here, this one shines brightest. The cuisine emphasizes the beauty of slow cooking. Roasted-lamb or -chicken mandi are fall-apart tender, their onions richly caramelized atop beds of rice. Bubbling stews such as fahsa (shredded beef with vegetables) stand out for depth of flavor. Like most dishes in the spacious dining room, shafout easily serves four—not that you’ll want to share the wheel of injera-like bread covered with chilled cucumber-herb yogurt and pomegranate seeds. Also good: hummus with lamb; haneeth (lamb with rice); susi (a sweet-savory casserole with honey); Minted lime juice.
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.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
