Fettoosh, 5100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-527-7710 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Washingtonian | zabihah | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
They masquerade as Lebanese, but mostly the place is of value for the Moroccan dishes. Creative, not just the usual, very mom and pop. You may need to ask for a separate Moroccan menu, worth doing. The Lebanese stuff isn’t bad, but not a reason to go there. Get a Moroccan stew of some kind. Very basic décor, charming to me but perhaps not to all. The only problem is that it is located right next to Pupatella, a potent competitor.
I am not sure how Pupatella qualifies as a competitor.
Went there for lunch, excellent! Party of four, we sampled the Harira (nice blend of spices), Chicken Bastilla (sweet and savory), three different kinds of tagines: Merguez (spicy but just the right amount of heat), Lamb with Prunes (good but may not be for everyone the prunes are sweet) and Lamb with veggies. The Lamb in the tagines was very tender and melted in your mouth. Had a native Moroccan in our party, most authentic Moroccan food he’s had in the US. Owner insisted we come back to try the kabob. How could I forget, the bread with the meal was excellent! We’ll be going back.
A great recommendation. We had the chicken tagine among other dishes and they were all terrific.