Here is the website, yes there are four in Cambodia and one in Laos. Even better, here is their list of unusual restaurants, some examples:
Auction-like sale of dishes (Malaga, Spain)
All staff are midgets (Cairo, Egypt)
Three robots greet guests and take orders (Hong Kong)
Restaurant for anorexics (Berlin, Germany, now closed, more information here)
The same link lists the world’s best (supposedly) 24 restaurants.
Here is restaurant trivia in Russian.
Dear Readers,
I know you’ve all been readers of my ethnic dining guide and you’ve also helped contribute content. I am very grateful for the time and trouble you have taken to send along information.
I just wanted to let you know I have a new book coming out that might interest you. It is called “Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist.”
It is a fun romp through many topics, including food. The book has a whole chapter on how to find a good restaurant, what to order, where in a city you can find the best food, and many related questions. I like to think that if you find the dining guide useful you will enjoy this book as well.
Tim Harford from The Financial Times described the book as follows:
These are my current favorites.
Overall Thai X-ing and Hong Kong Palace, favorite Korean is Il Mee or Gom Ba Woo, chicken would be El Pollo Rico or the Korean fried chicken place in Lotte Plaza (Cheogajip Chicken), Chinese is Hong Kong Palace and China Star, Indian is Saravana Palace for weekend buffet, Thai is Thai X-ing, Ethiopian is Zenebech at U and 6th or so.
To get cheaper than those (“bargain”) try Pho 75 at Rt. 50 and Graham or your neighborhood pupusas with tamale de elote…
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Wild Chicken, web site, 11039 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA, West Fair Shopping Center, in the rear, this is the hardest place to find in this whole guide, it is simply behind the big buildings facing the main street, 703-383-0266 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Don Rockwell | Yelp]
They have Peruvian chicken, a 7 on a scale of one to ten. On Monday there is Lomo Saltado, Tuesday has Aji de Gallina, and Friday has Seco de Carne (beef stew with cilantro). Those dishes are quite good, and occasionally on offer other days as well. An intriguing mom n’ pop, and certainly worth trying at least once. They also offer unusual (and tasty) Latino ice creams, seasonally.
Chima Steakhouse, 8010 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 100, Vienna, VA, 703-595-7755 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo | Yelp]
The new Brazilian steak house, churrascaria, very stylish, draws a mod crowd of wealthy Latinos and sometimes Arabs. Lots of fun, not cheap, the lamb and the pork caked in cheese are the best. The salads could be improved. I like Fogo de Chao better, but because of proximity, and a Brazilian-loving daughter, I’ll end up going here yet again.
Central Michel Richard, web site, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-626-0015, hard to get reservations except at 5:30 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | The Hill | MenuPages | City Paper | Don Rockwell | Yelp | Gayot]
This was once the second best place in town but now it’s just OK. Tourists have taken it over and it was never that cheap in the first place. Get out your copy of Brahms’s Requiem. Originally the short ribs and the burgers were pretty good. But now, write it off if you really care about food.
Also see Michel Richard Citronelle.
Fairouz Mediterranean Café, web site, 3815-A S. George Mason Drive, Falls Church, VA, 703-845-7929 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Yelp]
A mix of Tunisian and Lebanese dishes, I have yet to go. They have okra on the menu, foul, chopped liver, stuffed quail, and lots of kabob platters.
La Rue 123, web site (music), 4023 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA, 703-691-2266 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo]
Near Le Tire Bouchon and in the old Bailiwick Inn.
Classic French, they go out of their way to be boring but the quality is high. I tried the beef tenderloin, the shrimp, and the sea bass. All were excellent, I liked the sea bass best. A good place to take clients or job market candidates, especially if others are paying. Not my kind of thing, but some people will love this place.
Fu Mei, in the Great Wall Chinese grocery store (???) on Gallows, between 29 and 50 and right by Five Guys and Peking Village, 2982 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA, 703-208-3388 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [WaPo]
Fully authentic Chinese comfort food, the meats are quite good, the noodles too, the chow fun (chow foon), all for Chinese tastes; the food lies in the direction of oily Cantonese, not sea cucumber. Definitely recommended, and an A+ for atmosphere. They have only a few tables, all the more reason to go.
