Shi Miaodao Yunnan Rice Noodle, 819 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD, 240-386-8596 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Rest Guru]
Small, very mom and pop, though actually part of a much broader chain. This is basically a one-dish restaurant, a kind of spicy/sour Yunnan soup. Fortunately, the one dish is very good and I can attest, from significant time spent in Yunnan, it is pretty authentic. At the end of the day the meats you choose for your soup don’t matter much, as at least half the value is in the left over broth. Just don’t confuse this with a full-service Chinese restaurant. And I would say the portion is better for lunch than for dinner. I did try one of the few appetizers, a kind of sausage wrapped in egg and dipped in a sickly sweet sauce. It was super-authentic, representing what is to me the dark side of Chinese street food. Just keep in mind authentic isn’t usually good, but the authentic soup here is very good.
