By DCist contributor Ari Charney

It is a truth universally acknowledged that some of Northern Virginia’s greatest culinary treasures are unceremoniously tucked away in the most decrepit strip malls. Jerusalem Restaurant, which offers Middle Eastern cuisine with a few Palestinian flourishes, is hidden within the shabby Mount of Olives Center just off Route 7. The charming stencil on the window that promises “Whole Fresh Lamb” beckoned us from the cramped, hazardous parking lot.

Because it’s always a good idea to work in some necessary roughage during the appetizer round before the unadulterated carnage of the entrees, we started off with their foul (pronounced like “fool”) madammas — a generous, entree-sized bowl of soupy fava beans stewed with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. The mince of garlic and parsley in the center of the bowl battled with the citrus essence for dominance over the earthy fava beans. And the Jerusalem salad, a standard Mediterranean salad of chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, and feta, was a refreshing foil to the foul.

When it came to the entrees, we took the restaurant up on its advertised promise of “Whole Fresh Lamb” by ordering the maklouba and the mindi. Maklouba, which means “upside down” in Arabic, is a traditional rice, lamb and vegetable dish, where the meat is cooked underneath the rice in the pot and then inverted when served. The dish is accompanied by a small bowl of homemade yogurt, which is ladled over the tender slices of lamb. The sauteed bits of carrot and peas were a nice touch, but the fried and lightly browned florets of cauliflower were the highlight of the veggies.