Fakhr El-Din Restaurant, Amman Jordan

Last night our dinner was quite good.  One of the nicest restaurants in Jordan named Fakhr El-Din.  Located in an old neighborhood that appears to be a large home converted into a restaurant.  Service was really good.  We even had a Jordanian red wine which was delicious.  I liked this place and the whole experience.

Each table has this vegetable mixture at the table.  Two heads of lettuce stuffed with carrot sticks and some cucumbers on the side. 

There were also fresh cut tomatoes, zatar (a spice), olive oil and a huge bowl of crushed garlic on the table to begin.  I didn't touch the garlic which was so intense in smell.  A little overpowering for my taste.

I ordered some starters for the table.  Emily bagged this particular dinner.  She needed sleep!  The hummus was incredible.  Really creamy with extra lemon juice and whole beans in the middle.  There was certainly garlic in the hummus but I didn't taste it going down.  I did have a bit of a kick in the middle of the night as I continue to toss and turn getting used to the time period but I dealt.  Tabbolleh salad was really fresh.  Massive chopped parsley.  Nice.  The Armenian salad was my favorite.  I don't usually love mint but this was so good.  Fresh pieces of mint, slices of crunchy small cucumbers and pieces of tomatoes.  This salad really cleansed the mouth.  Also the ingredients tasted like they had been picked from a garden just before they were served to us.

This was a stuffed spinach onion mixture.  The pastry was too thick and had very little flavor. 

Warm broad beans and olive oil.  I didn't love this either.  Just not that interesting.

Josh and Jessica each ordered this dish.  I believe it is called Fatteh (not sure I spelled that right).  Chicken, rice, crispy pieces of pita bread baked in a yogurt sauce.  It wasn't what they were expecting but it was quite delicious and different.  Less yogurt would have been better but it wasn't as heavy as it looks.

I had simple grilled lamb chops with a piece of pita covered with spicy paprika.  Simple.

Fred had a pounded boneless chicken breast grilled.  Also really well done. I guess French fries are universal. 

For dessert we something we have seen everywhere.  A creamed mixture covered with a crispy rice and pistachios on top.  Very good.

This was interesting too.  Almost like a soft cannelloni with a whipped cream cheese topped with crushed pistachios and then a simple sugar to pour over the top.  This didn't have as much flavor as the first one but I liked it.

I liked the simplicity of the food, the vibe, the service and the different flavors that gave everything a Middle Eastern taste.