Kebericho Deli Market

Posted on 2009/05/16 by .

Kebericho Deli Market, 3811-c South George Mason Drive, Falls Church, VA, 703-578-6464 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window)

It’s hard to keep track of all the burgeoning Ethiopian places in this mini-mall, but since they are all excellent maybe you don’t need to. This place, which is next to the fabled Abay Market, serves six or so meat-based dishes, no real vegetables. Don’t expect Shiro here. The meats are above average and the atmosphere is excellent.

The time I went it had the single most beautiful waitress of any restaurant on this list, so you tell me whether or not it is worth going. I say yes.

Also see “Lunch with the FT: Tyler Cowen”

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Posted in Beautiful Women, Ethiopian, Falls Church/Seven Corners, Virginia | 1 Comment

Standard dishes for testing the quality of a restaurant

Posted on 2009/05/11 by .

Joshua Johnson, a loyal MR (and TCEDG) reader, asks:

    If you are going to a new ethnic restaurant, what staple items do you order that for you, let you know if the restaurant is worth coming back to and trying more of their offerings? It would be nice if you could make some sort of list for Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Turkish, etc.

Here goes:
Japanese: One bite of the tempura tells all.
Chinese: Ma Po Tofu, or for some kinds of Chinese places Hainan Chicken with Rice.
Thai: Almost any dish shows the true colors of a Thai restaurant immediately.
Turkish: Doner Kebab, taking special care to ponder the tanginess of the yogurt and how it interacts with the meat.
Vietnamese: Anything with lemon grass, which is hard to use well.
Ethiopian: Kitfo or barring that lamb tibs.
Peruvian: Lomo saltado, taking special care to check for the right amount of cilantro in the sauce and the correct sogginess of the french fries.
Bolivian: Silpancho, and check the liquidity and consistency of the egg on top.
Afghan: Kadu (pumpkin) and is it too sweet?
Korean: Seafood pancake and in general the quality of their kimchees.
Indian: Most dishes will do (see “Thai”), although avoid the Butter Chicken as a metric of quality. Lamb with spinach is my do-or-die default judgment dish for an Indian restaurant, if only because you get to taste both the lamb (less likely to be tender than the chicken) and the spinach..
Restaurant, general: How’s their chili crab? If it’s not outstanding, or not on the menu, press eject immediately and get yourself to a different country.
Can you think of others? (see comments on MR)
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution.

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Posted in Economics of Dining, General Tips | 7 Comments

Pike Grill

Posted on 2009/05/10 by .

Pike Grill, 3902 Wilson Boulevard, right by Gold’s Gym, Arlington, VA, 703-243-0279 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Yelp]
Above-average Bolivian, one of the best silpanchos around with a properly moist egg. Recommended, a fun place.

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Posted in Arlington, Bolivian, Virginia | 1 Comment

Lisbon bleg

Posted on 2009/04/09 by .

I’ll be there for a few days, next week, plus have one free day for a day trip. What should I do, what should I eat, and how should I think about what I am doing?
Your assistance is both requested and appreciated.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Also see “Food in Portugal notes” posted on Marginal Revolution.

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Posted in Portugal | Comments Off on Lisbon bleg

La’Jawab (LaJawab)

Posted on 2009/03/18 by .

La’Jawab, 5151 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA (just east of George Mason Drive, west of Glebe), 703-532-4104 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [MenuPages | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
Could this be the best Pakistani place around right now? The haleem is excellent and the wok dishes are very good too. Vegetables taste fresh. Recommended. If it takes them a little long to serve you, it is because they do everything the right way from scratch.

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Posted in Arlington, Pakistani, Virginia | 3 Comments

West End Bistro

Posted on 2009/03/12 by .

West End Bistro, web site (Flash), 1190 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC, in the Ritz-Carlton, 202-974-4900 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | MenuPages | Don Rockwell | Yelp | Gayot]
I went once and had very good ham and very good cod, right after the new sous chef arrived. The other dishes I saw didn’t impress me so much. It was very noisy and not cheap. I would go back, but at this point I am reluctant to recommend it.

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Posted in American, DC, Downtown | Comments Off on West End Bistro

Aditi Bistro

Posted on 2009/03/07 by .

Aditi Bistro, web site, 405 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA, 703-938-0100 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | Yelp]

New Review June 10, 2021

Run by the Aditi people, it has lots of wraps. Imagine trying to do Chipotle with Indian food. It’s OK, good enough if you’re in the area, but not up to the best Indian places around.

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Posted in Indian, Vienna/Tysons, Virginia | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The countercyclical asset, northern Virginia edition

Posted on 2009/02/27 by .

It is Little Seoul, mostly in Annandale, spilling over into West Alexandria. The number of innovative Korean restaurants continues to increase and they are usually crowded.

I love the new place devoted to the many forms of Korean porridge. Seoul Gool Dae Gee Honey Pig on Columbia Pike has the best decor (and the pork neck) around. TodamSoonDooBoo (also known as Tofu House, next to the Giant, straddling 236 and Columbia Pike) has dumpling soup and tofu.

The two branches of Shilla Bakery and Le Matin de Paris give Virginia a cafe scene.

Much of my eating out is now Korean or in the new Vietnamese places in the Western Saigon interior branch of the Eden Center; either that or Hong Kong Palace, Thai X-ing, or the now-reopened Nava Thai, right next door to the shuttered old branch.

Annandale used to be a nice appendage to the peak places to eat. Now it’s the epicenter, the main culinary show, and also the coolest place to hang out.

Addendum: Here is a good article, which mentions Korean food as the next trend to come. Let’s hope not.

Originally posted on Marginal Revolution

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Posted in Annandale, Eden Center, Falls Church/Seven Corners, Some Places You Must Try, Virginia | Comments Off on The countercyclical asset, northern Virginia edition

Kabob Corner

Posted on 2009/02/27 by .

Kabob Corner, 10893 Main Street, Fairfax, VA, 703-219-2078 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Yelp]
An intriguing little mom n’ pop Afghan restaurant. Not the very best kabobs but they have pumpkin, aushak, etc. I like going there.

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Posted in Afghan, Fairfax, Virginia | Comments Off on Kabob Corner

Seoul Gool Dae Gee (Honey Pig Restaurant)

Posted on 2009/02/22 by .

Seoul Gool Dae Gee (Honey Pig Restaurant), web site, 7220 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA, 703-256-5133 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | MenuPages | Don Rockwell | Yelp]

An A+ for the metallic décor and the Korean pop culture strewn all over the walls. Visually speaking, this might be my favorite place on the list. It’s also one of the two or three best places for Korean food. Get the pork neck barbecue. Ask them for their house specialty, a barbecue dish cooked with meat, vegetables, and octopus on top of your table. Very yummy. Good seafood pancake here as well.

Update October 2013: No longer the leader. See Kogiya.

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Posted in Annandale, Korean, Virginia | Tagged , , | 4 Comments