El Tapatio

Posted on 2006/03/05 by .

El Tapatio, 4309 Kenilworth Avenue, Bladensburg, MD, 301-403-8882, open 10 to 10 every day, don’t you love those hours? (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Citysearch | Gayot]

This is a real Mexican place, treasure the thought. In LA or Houston this restaurant would be only average, but that is still great in absolute terms. Get the goat (“birria del chivo”). The best chile relleno around. Very good tacos. A lifesaver, the first Mexican place I can recommend, despite its inconvenient location. It’s right where the old “Cielito Lindo” used to be.

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Posted in College Park/Hyattsville, Current Favorites, Maryland, Mexican | 4 Comments

Indique

Posted on 2006/03/05 by .

Indique, web site, 3512 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC (at Cleveland Park Metro) (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Citysearch | Gayot]
Nouvelle Indian, with nice dining quarters, but ultimately more Indian than nouvelle. Everything is excellent, but get as many appetizers as possible, ten or twelve I would say. Note: I have heard reports of decline since the new outlet Indique Heights opened.
The Best

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Posted in Cleveland Park/National Zoo, DC, Indian, The Best | 2 Comments

Madjet

Posted on 2006/03/05 by .

Madjet, 1102 U Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-265-4779 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist]
An up-and-coming Ethiopian place on U Street. I like #9, the beef special, one of the best Ethiopian dishes in DC and not found in most other places. The Titanic Tibs is good too. The word “Shiro” also will do good things for you. High quality, although (because?) the menu is more limited than in most places.

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Posted in DC, Ethiopian, U Street / Shaw | Comments Off on Madjet

Zengo DC

Posted on 2006/03/05 by .

Zengo DC, web site, 781 7th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-393-2929 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell]
Richard Sandoval and Placido Domingo own this place. Modern Mexican mixed in with Pan-Asian, one of the best places in town. The look is very stylish, and reminds the visitor of Manhattan or Mexico City. A hip crowd. The hamachi is superb, also get the empanadas; don’t say “I don’t like empanadas, they are dull, crusty things.” Swallow each arepa in a single bite. Not cheap, but for what you get it is reasonably priced.

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Posted in Asian (Pan-Asian), Chinatown/Verizon Center, DC, Fine Dining, Mexican, The Best | Comments Off on Zengo DC

Minerva

Posted on 2006/03/05 by .

Minerva, web site, 10364 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA, 703-383-9200 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Citysearch]
Other locations:

The best. Amazing buffet for lunchtime, weekend lunch is when you should go. Real Indian food, north and south. Truly spicy. The best are the dishes that look weird or unusual. Use the chutneys. Use the curd rice. Experiment. One of the best places on this list if you know how to choose from the buffet properly. Buffet spicier, and more interesting, on the weekends. (Non-buffet) dinner is also excellent, though sometimes a bit slow. Opt for their unusual dosas and south Indian specialties. Great for people-watching, especially at lunch.

You’ll notice they have some Chinese dishes, which mimic how Chinese food is served in India. The peppered chicken is best. Indians love these, they are evidence of how authentic the restaurant is, not the contrary.

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Posted in Fairfax, Herndon/Reston/Ashburn/Chantilly / Dulles Airport, Indian, Southern Indian, The Best, Virginia | 13 Comments

Seven Seas

Posted on 2006/03/04 by .

Seven Seas, web site, 1776 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD, 301-770-5020 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Gayot]
One of the very best Chinese for seafood. You must ask for the Chinese menu, otherwise don’t go. Get the Crispy Fish Hunan Style.

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Posted in Chinese, Maryland, The Best | 1 Comment

Bob’s Noodle 66

Posted on 2006/03/04 by .

Bob’s Noodle 66, 200 N. Washington St., Rockville, MD, 301-315-6668, usually open, cash only. (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Yelp | Don Rockwell]

CLOSED

Superb Chinese food, nor is it replicated by the other best Chinese places around. More Taiwanese than most local Chinese restaurants. The thick noodles are amazing. I loved the fish and the ginger casseroles. Get the oyster pancake as a starter. The last fish dish, lightly fried fish in a sweet and sour sauce, is a knock-out. Not to mention the tempura soft shell crab. Right now this is the best Chinese place around. I wouldn’t pretend that I have discovered the best dishes here yet, but you can’t go wrong, even if you don’t usually like duck blood.

Also see Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu

Update May 2013: The old location (305 Washington) is now Bob’s Shanghai 66.

Update January 2007: This restaurant is now in slight decline.


Seafood Combo Thick Noodle Soup
Seafood Combo Thick Noodle Soup

Ginger Chicken Casserole
Ginger Chicken Casserole


The Best

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Posted in Chinese, Current Favorites, Maryland, Rockville/Gaithersburg, The Best | 5 Comments

Hong Kong Palace

Posted on 2006/03/04 by .

Hong Kong Palace (formerly Saigon Palace), web site, 6387 Leesburg Pike, Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, VA, 703-532-0940, open 11 am – 11 pm every day (online maps do not accurately show the location. The actual address is 6387 Leesburg Pike, but using 6222 more accurately shows the approximate location) On the southeast end of the mall between Leesburg Pike and Rt. 50, about 2/3rds of a mile due south of Eden Center, facing Sears, that includes Michaels and Shoppers Food Warehouse on the Leesburg Pike side, and Fortune, Home Depot and Barnes & Noble on the Rt. 50 side) (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Suburban Tasteland | City Paper]
August 8, 2007: See the updated profile here.
This was once the premier Cantonese place around, but now it has been Sichuan for a while, you ma still need to ask for the special menu. One of my very favorite places. The beef with cumin is excellent, the lamb with cumin, the Dan Dan noodles, the Zhong’s spicy dumplings, and maybe the beef with bamboo shoots is my favorite dish. The spicy fish in hot pot is great (not the exact name of the dish but that’s what it is) and the specials are very reliable. Recommended, and let me know what you think. If you don’t order from the special menu, don’t even bother going. Right now the clientele is 100 pct. Chinese, a good sign. Note that they don’t have a listed phone number.

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Posted in Chinese, The Best, Virginia | 6 Comments

Joe’s Noodle House

Posted on 2006/03/04 by .

Joe’s Noodle House, web site, 1488-C Rockville Pike, near Congressional Lane, Rockville, MD, 301-881-5518 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Economist | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Citysearch]
Superb Szechuan food. Many little items. You order and they bring it to your crowded table. As close to real Chinese food as you are going to get around here. A very exciting place to visit, highly recommended. Plus the best dumplings around.

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Posted in Chinese, Maryland, The Best | 4 Comments

A&J Restaurant

Posted on 2006/03/04 by .

A&J Restaurant

Manchurian food and dim sum, one of the best places around. Tasty, original, and very cheap. I love the soups and dumplings. The boiled peanuts and shredded bean curd are other favorites. The smoked chicken has been especially good lately. But you can’t go wrong here, just make sure you get lots of things, and with the median item price below three dollars, this is not hard to do.

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Posted in Chinese, Maryland, The Best, Virginia | 3 Comments