Washington, D.C.

quote:

Originally posted by wilewil

Full Kee (Chinatown) reportedly re-opened today. The Bailey's Crossroads location may suffer.

That's great news, though I admit I've grown comfortable with the Bailey's Crossroads location and probably won't look back.

quote:

Originally posted by jpatweb

quote:

Originally posted by wilewil

Full Kee (Chinatown) reportedly re-opened today. The Bailey's Crossroads location may suffer.

That's great news, though I admit I've grown comfortable with the Bailey's Crossroads location and probably won't look back.

I agree that its great news. Since I live in DC and work downtown, I missed the Chinatown location and I will happily be able to go there again for their great meal-in-a-bowl soups and Cantonese dishes.

I'm happy to confirm that the Full Kee on H St. in Chinatown is back and as good as ever. Had the seafood dumpling soup there for lunch, and it was as if the place had never closed.

quote:

Originally posted by rbpalmer

I'm happy to confirm that the Full Kee on H St. in Chinatown is back and as good as ever. Had the seafood dumpling soup there for lunch, and it was as if the place had never closed.

Glad to hear it!

Once again, I have to make a pitch for City Lights of China, about three blocks north of DuPont Circle on the east side of Connecticut Ave. The address is 1731 Connecticut Ave. NW. The dish to order is Crispy Fried Shredded Beef, which is under the Chef's Specialties section of the menu. The menu describes this dish as "shredded crispy beef fried sauteed on special spicy sauce with vegetables." I've never found a dish like this anywhere else. I've enjoyed everything I've ordered at this place for the 20 years I've been eating there, and I eat there every time I'm in Washington. It does get very crowded.

http://www.citylightsofchina.com/

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

Once again, I have to make a pitch for City Lights of China, about three blocks north of DuPont Circle on the east side of Connecticut Ave. The address is 1731 Connecticut Ave. NW. The dish to order is Crispy Fried Shredded Beef, which is under the Chef's Specialties section of the menu. The menu describes this dish as "shredded crispy beef fried sauteed on special spicy sauce with vegetables." I've never found a dish like this anywhere else. I've enjoyed everything I've ordered at this place for the 20 years I've been eating there, and I eat there every time I'm in Washington. It does get very crowded.

http://www.citylightsofchina.com/

My coworker today was enthusiastic today about his experience over the weekend at City Lights .. so there's one more vote!

I'm a Mexican fan and have had good experiences with two places in Arlington, both near Metro stops. Guajillo (pronounced Wa-Hee-Yo) is in a small set of shops at 1727 Wilson Boulevard, just outside of Rosslyn. There's also a good coffee shop next door. The other is Mexicali Blues at 2933 Wilson Boulevard. It specializes in Mexican and Central American food. Great food and drink - very colorful and cheery.

The Maine Ave. Wharf has rodent problems, and the seafood isn't as fresh as you think....M. Slavin & Sons in Arlington or Fresh Fields is a better way to go.

The Carlyle Grand in Shirlington (section of Arlington, VA): excellent brunch and dinner...moderately priced

Matuba in Arlington, VA: good for sushi

quote:

Originally posted by dd421

The Maine Ave. Wharf has rodent problems, and the seafood isn't as fresh as you think....M. Slavin & Sons in Arlington or Fresh Fields is a better way to go.

The Carlyle Grand in Shirlington (section of Arlington, VA): excellent brunch and dinner...moderately priced

Matuba in Arlington, VA: good for sushi

Concur whole-heartedly with the M. Slavin & Sons recommendation for fresh seafood. It's easy to get to off of I-395 and provides an excellent array of both Atlantic and Pacific catches.

I agree with dinner at Fish Market in Old Town. They have great raw oysters.

As for breakfast, Silver Diner (chain) which has great pancakes or for dim sum, New Fortune in Gaithersburg. Although it is somewhat of a hike but not too bad (1/2 hr), they have more variety and is pretty good (as opposed to Fortune in Falls Church).

The Prime Rib is also great but pricey and you have to dress up in suit/tie as someone mentioned already. I've tried many of the dishes from steaks to salads and they are all good.

Let me make a plug for the Silver Spring area. It's a slightly rundown suburb that's being revitalized by the Discovery Communications HQ and the AFI Silver theater. A ton of chain restaurants have opened in the new downtown area but if you want to come up for dinner and a movie, you can see a good show then walk a few blocks for a good non-chain dinner.

Suggestions include:

Crisfield for seafood. Classic place.
Half Moon BBQ, which serves very good BBQ and hosts country/rockabilly acts in an intimate performance space in the back.
The Quarry House, a basement bar & grill, a neighborhood institution with good food and a friendly atmosphere.
Tastee Diner, an old-fashioned diner open 24 hours. Not spectacular, but reliable.
Mi Rancho, decent Mexican.
Cubano's, slightly upscale Cuban cuisine.
Oriental East, superb Chinese that does amazing dim sum on weekends.
Crisp & Juicy, good Peruvian rotisserie chicken.
Mayorga Coffee Roasters, next door to Crisfield, good for coffee and dessert, and also for their "loaded lattes" and flavored martinis.
A little farther away is El Gavilan, an excellent Tex-Mex/Salvadoran restaurant with amazingly low prices.

A bunch of new restaurants are opening soon, including one of my favorites, Mandalay, a Burmese place moving there from a small shop in College Park. Burmese food is a three-way cross between Indian, Chinese and Thai, and the prices are reasonable. When they finally open, go there for the mango salad.

quote:

Originally posted by mcornett

Let me make a plug for the Silver Spring area. It's a slightly rundown suburb that's being revitalized by the Discovery Communications HQ and the AFI Silver theater.

Allow me to shed a brief tear over that. This is where I grew up. My sister still lives there (until she moves to FL in a couple months). When I was a kid, Silver Spring was a couple of strip shopping centers covering the corners of Georgia Ave. and Route 29 (Colesville Rd.) and surrounded by spreading post-WWII suburbia. One of those strip centers contained the Silver Theater, admission $.25, where I used to go most Saturdays in the summer because it was about the only indoor space around with air conditioning.

Incidentally, the "slightly run-down" home my sister and her husband just sold was worth, they were told by a real estate agent, $500K or so, but they chose to keep it in the family by selling to a daughter for $350K which bought them a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3-car garage place (with swimming pool) 1/2 block from the ocean in Ormond Beach FL.

We'll all miss Silver Spring.