China Boy - Gallery Place

China Boy is a small storefront that primarily sells store made "chow foon," a broad, rice noodle, but also serves various soups, stir-fries, and crepe dishes, all of which feature their chow foon.

The store is primarily a carryout with only one table available to sit in. The interior is quite spartan and most of the people who came in while I was there had no interest in tarrying. I also noticed that the vast majority of people came in and ordered the chow foon plain, presumably to use in their own dishes at home.

I ordered a tripe noodle soup and a noodle crepe dish with dried shrimp. The tripe noodle soup was hearty, rich, and beefy. It was perfect for a cold winter's night. The tripe was tender and just chewy enough without being overwhelming offalish on the palate. The only drawback, to be honest, was the chow foon. Now, the chow foon itself was delicious, but I guess I don't much care for it in soup. I simply prefer thinner noodles with a little more bite to them. But, YMMV, as always.

The crepe dish, again featuring the chow foon, was more to my liking. The chow foon gently draped the dried, preserved shrimp, framing the briny, saltiness of shrimp in a billowing cushion of soft, chewy noodle. Some soy-based sauce and chili oil really made the dish sing. I would definitetly recommend this dish.

The woman at the counter was a little brusque, but I did get there near closing (they close around 5:00 pm). However, we conversed and she was surprised I was not Chinese since I ordered the tripe dish and visibly enjoyed it. And, I learned that, apparently, there are more than one type of tripe. The tripe she uses is only suitable for soups (and costs around $2.99/lb.) while a more expensive type of tripe can be deep fried and made crispy (something I had while eating at Ripple in Cleveland Park and costs about $5.99/lb.). You learn something new everyday!

So, if you want a crash course on offal with a side of chow foon, stop on by China Boy.

XO Taste Restaurant - Falls Church

This is probably one of the most authentic Cantonese restaurants in Arlington. However, even though the dishes are all authentic, from their "barbecue" meats, to their noodle soups, right down to their casseroles, I came away slightly underwhelmed. Fundamentally, the problem with X.O. is one of execution: dishes came to us either under-seasoned, over-salted, or over-cooked.

The mixed barbecue platter of roast duck, BBQ pork, and soy sauce chicken was merely ok. While the BBQ pork was nicely prepared with a subtly sweet marinade, the soy sauce chicken was pretty ordinary while the roast duck was tasteless. Our steamed flounder with ginger-scallion sauce was overcooked, dry, chewy, and bland. Similarly, the seafood and eggplant casserole did not have a lot of flavor. On the flip side, the congee with preserved egg was way over-salted. It probably isn't a great sign when the best dish is comprised of stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic (which were very good).

I heard that this place was owned by the same people as Full Kee in Chinatown, and the menus are very similar (X.O. eschews many of the Americanized dishes found in Full Kee). The eggplant casserole, for example, was almost identical to the casserole I got once at Full Kee (they even use the same casserole dishes), except the one at Full Kee had more flavor. It feels odd to recommend a DC Asian restaurant over a NoVa restaurant, but to be honest, the kitchen at Full Kee is probably a little bit more skilled than the one at X.O., and the dishes are pretty much the same. So, you might as well get the better prepared dishes at Full Kee and save yourself the trip to the burbs. I think this is a testament to the sad state of affairs of Cantonese cuisine in the greater Washington metropolitan area.

Great Wall Szechuan House - Mid City

Great Wall Szechuan House is the other Sichuan place in the District, and while it doesn't have the same breadth of dishes that Sichuan Pavilion has, it still manages to punch far above its weight class. This place, for all intents and purposes, is a carryout. From what I heard, it was only about three or four years ago that they removed the bulletproof plexiglass from their counter. And, it is still very much a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. When you look at the menu, the fast majority of it covers the typical carryout standards: General Tso's, Egg Foo Young, Lo Mein, and fried chicken wings. However, in a little corner of the menu is a box labeled "Ma-La," and these dishes are why people come here.

For those who don't know, "ma-la" refers to the numbing sensation one gets when eating dishes spiced with Sichuan peppercorn. Sichuan cuisine is indeed spicy, but the numbness one feels is what truly sets this particular cuisine apart from all other Chinese culinary traditions. And you get ma-la in spades when you order the Mapo Dofu, a tofu dishes that is smothered in ground pork, an oily hot sauce, and enough Sichuan peppercorn to numb your mouth, you can get a root canal afterwards without taking any Novocaine. A milder dish, the twice-cooked pork, is also excellent. It is essentially sliced pork belly seasoned with peppery spices (but be sure to order it off the ma-la menu and not the version in the Americanized portion of the menu). I also have heard rumors that you can order off-the-menu entrees, (like the Sichuan hot pot) if you call in advance.

In sum, Great Wall is great place to go if you need a ma-la fix without wanting to travel to hinterlands of Virginia and Maryland. It is unfussy, simple food, but sometimes that is a good thing.

Sichuan Pavilion - K Street Corridor 3/27/2011

[Not related to the Sichuan Pavilion in Rockville]

On first glance, Sichuan Pavilion looks like your typical Americanized Chinese restaurant. However, closer examination of the menu belies this. Interspersed between the Chow Fun and various iteration of General Tso's entrees are some authentic Sichuan dishes. However, you have to know what to order.

If you are interested in something authentic, you can't go wrong with the Steamed Pork Bacon (with preserved vegetables). In reality, it is uncured pork belly marinated in a earthy sauce that isn't overwhelming spicy at all. If you see a group of Chinese people eating at this restaurant, you will see this dish on their table. It's basically this restaurant's signature.

Another good dish is the dan dan noodles, a noodle dish drenched in a spicy sauce seasoned with Sichuan peppercorn. Sichuan peppercorn isn't necessarily spicy, per se. What it does is creates a "ma la" (i.e., numbing) sensation, which is quite frankly an inimitable hallmark of Sichuan cuisine. Similarly, the mapo dofu (a tofu dish smothered in a similar Sichuan peppercorn sauce) is another classic Sichuan dish this restaurant makes a faithful rendition of.


The dry hot pepper chicken, which is basically small chunks of fried chicken sauteed with dried red peppers. The chicken is crispy with just a hint of spiciness to it. Really simple, but really good. I also like the tea smoke duck, but it basically just fried duck with hoisin and pancakes. It wasn't a crowd favorite with my group, so YMMV.

There are some landmines on the menu. For example, the lamb stew was watery and only had a few scraps of lamb in it. And, as mentioned earlier, the Americanized dishes are no better than what you can get at your neighborhood carryout, so don't bother ordering them. But, if you order carefully and conscientiously, you can get a fairly authentic meal without having to leave the borders of the District.

Full Kee - Gallery Place 2/9/2011

Full Kee
509 H St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Located in the neighborhood formerly known as Chinatown, Full Kee is a holdover from the pre-Verizon/MCI/soulless telecom conglomerate Center era. While the restaurant is not as whimsically named like its neighbors, such as Wok n' Roll and New Big Wong, it is one of the few remaining Chinese restaurants in the area that still attempts to prepare a semblance of non-Americanized Chinese food.

While it has several species of roasted fowl hanging in the window, it isn't really a "hole in the wall" Chinese restaurant. It has several rooms and is actually fairly spacious inside. Since I was with a relatively large group and we were seated at a table with a lazy susan, one of those circular trays which allow you to spin different platters of food around the table, we decided to share our entrees family style.

The menu is fairly Cantonese, although there are many Americanized dishes intermingled in the selection, so you have to know what to order. For appetizers, I ordered crab rangoon with duck sauce, an Americanized dish, while others ordered steamed dumplings and a corn soup. The crab rangoon was as expected: a delectable fried wonton stuffed with cream cheese and very little imitation crab, just as I like it. The duck sauce however was obnoxiously cloying even for duck sauce. I didn't get to try the steamed dumplings, but people at the table seemed to enjoy them. I also tried the corn soup, which was basically egg drop soup with some kernels of corn tossed in...it was extremely bland and forgettable.


We also ordered several dishes for entrees. I ordered the eggplant "casserole" with minced chicken and salt fish, which I thought was well prepared. The eggplant was steaming hot and the protein acted as accompaniments rather than the main players. Nonetheless, I thought it was well-seasoned and harmonious and would order it again. Someone else ordered a white fish dish with peppers and onion which was also quite tasty. The sauteed snow pea leaves were serviceable, if a little bland and undistinguished. It could have used a little garlic.

The peking duck was also well done. The skin was crispy and the meat moist, and when wrapped in the pancakes, worked beautifully with the earthy, tangy hoisin and the brightness of the green onions.

The Americanized dishes were a bit more mixed. The barbecue pork dish was nauseatingly cloying. The sauce tasted like corn syrup and tomato paste, though the pork was pleasantly crispy, I suppose. The shrimp with walnut in mayonnaise was far more successful, and really good. It did a better job balancing the sweetness with the savory and was probably one of my favorite dishes of the day.

All in all, if you want authentic Chinese food, you are better off trying to find something in either Fairfax or Rockville. Those restaurants are far more consistent and inexpensive (though they tend to be either Taiwanese or Sichuan, and not Cantonese). But, if you are in Gallery Place and you want to try some Chinese food, Full Kee isn't the worst option. At least it hasn't transmogrified itself into a Panda Express.

Maria’s Bakery – Rockville 1/7/2011

Maria's Bakery
12205 Nebel Street (Factory)
Rockville, MD 20852

Maria's Bakery is a Chinese bakery located in what looks to be a recently constructed mixed use development in Rockville. It is nestled in this strip mall that is not visible off Rockville Pike; you have to drive through a non-descript access road that cuts through a series of shopping plazas filled with big box stores. While the bakery itself has an ethnic feel, its neighbors clearly cater to a more gentrified clientele: there're a yoga studio, a Whole Foods across the Pike, probably a Potbelly and Panera, and maybe even an Uggs store (I don't believe an Apple Store has opened yet…I'm sure time will remedy that soon enough). Adjacent to it is a generic luxury condo complex, built with cheap materials and thrown up quickly, almost identical to the type you see in Arlington, Silver Spring, and the area around Nationals Park. I don't expect this place to be a UNESCO World Heritage site anytime soon.

We stopped by this bakery after dinner just before closing, so I probably didn't see it and its food at its best. When you walk in there is a glass display case filled with various cakes and pastries. On some shelves, they also have various breads and buns. I picked up a custard bun and a coffee cream bun. A friend of mine bought a red bean bun, another a slice of black forest cake, and another a preserved egg stuffed with a savory filling (perhaps meat?). Generally, I did not see any sesame balls or other things I find more distinctly Chinese…the baked goods being offered are fairly similar to those you can find in the Korean bakeries down in Annandale.

The custard bun was a little bland, the black forest cake a little dry, but the coffee cream was pretty good. I think the major problem was that the baked goods were not at their freshest, so if you stop by earlier, you will probably have a much better experience. Something to consider if you are in the area, though I suspect you might be better served trying Shilla Bakery or Le Matin de Paris if you want to sample Asian baked goods.

Coffee Cream Bun

Black Forest Cake

Mama Wok - Rockville 1/7/2011

Mama Wok
9900 Key West Ave
Rockville, MD 20850

With the construction of the Verizon Center supplanting the old Chinatown, Rockville and Wheaton in Montgomery County have become the de facto Chinatown in the DMV. Mama Wok, one of several “authentic” Chinese restaurants in Rockville, is located in a small strip mall just off Rockville Pike. Unlike Bob’s Noodle 66 or Michael’s Noodle, two more well-known restaurants in the area, Mama Wok does not specialize solely in Taiwanese cuisine, but rather serves a panoply of dishes hailing from regions as diverse as Sichuan, Guangzhou, and Shanghai (the cuisine of General Tso also makes an appearance on the menu). However, the food is primarily Taiwanese, with its hallmark delicacy and restraint being the primary characteristics of the dishes we ordered.

When you first walk in, the décor is not wholly dissimilar to that of the many standard Chinese carryouts that you probably walk past in DC or many other cities. Certainly cleaner, and a bit homier, but still retaining the familiar backlit menu above the formica counter, adorned with photographs of the Chef’s Specialty “Buddha’s Delight” and the Pu Pu Platter.

The clientele was a mix of Chinese and non-Asian families, with the Chinese families ordering the more traditional Taiwanese entrees while the non-Asian invariably dined on the Americanized fare. Hopefully this observation would disabuse the tired canard that one can ascertain the “authenticity” and quality of a restaurant by simply looking at the ethnicity of its diners. In this case, while there are many Chinese diners, this should not be taken as indication that you can order anything off the menu and expect it to be a traditional Chinese dish. Most Chinese restaurants, for misguided reasons, in my opinion, feel compelled to offer Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Young, and the other Panda Express standards you can find in your local mall food court. Just because you see Asian diners doesn’t mean that you are going to get an authentic, or even good, rendition of Chow Mein. You are just as likely going to get something that the cook in the kitchen haphazardly tossed together while working with greater care on the more authentic entrees.

After we are seated, we decided to eat family style, sharing each entrée among ourselves accompanied by a bowl of rice. I looked at the menu and noticed that, unlike many other Chinese restaurants, they don’t segregate the Americanized offerings from the “authentic” offerings. Not being Chinese, I deferred ordering to my dining companions, though I did insist that we order the beef tendon dish after my initial request for pork intestines and duck blood is vetoed.

After sipping tea and ordering water (I notice that many Asian restaurants, be it Korean or Chinese, tend to offer tea as the default beverage and tap water has to be specifically requested), our appetizers arrived. The Crispy Squid was, unlike Italian calamari, unbreaded and fried in a light batter. I enjoyed it, though my dining companions found it a bit ponderous and heavy for their tastes. I did notice that the squid finishes with noticeable greasiness, but I thought the green onions and other seasonings managed to give it good lift and balance. But, then again, I do enjoy grease. We also ordered “steamed buns,” i.e. xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). The dumplings were well prepared, with a tender, moist skin. Unfortunately, the soup inside the dumpling had a pronounced ginger and umami flavor that overwhelmed the flavor of the pork fillings, rendering the dish a little one-note for my tastes.

The waitress stopped by and also offered us free soup, and rather than order the egg drop or hot and sour, we decided on the House Specialty. The fish broth was light, but flavorful. The mushrooms, tofu, and seaweed added nice texture as well. The one flaw was that it was a little too savory, suggesting a heavy hand with the MSG, which is unfortunate. To me, excess MSG is a technical issue similar to oversalting. Much like salt, MSG can add to a dish when used with restraint and, to me, is otherwise unobjectionable if a cook chooses to use it.

Our two seafood dishes came next. The first dish was a flaky, white-fleshed fish fillet smothered in a thick fish broth with snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, and baby Napa cabbage. The fish was flavorful in a delicate way, though texturally a little too soggy. But, the sauce imparted a deep seafood flavor that was tasty, if a bit overwhelming in the umami. The other seafood dish was similar: a poached shrimp dish with broccoli, baby corn, snow peas, and carrots. The broth was as flavorful as the previous one, imparting a deep crustaceous shellfish flavor on the dish. But, again, the heavy-handedness with the umami, which I presume was MSG, was noticeable and marred the dish.

The highlight for me was dish of well-prepared sautéed snow pea leaves. The texture of the greens remained intact, slightly wilted, but still retaining some bite. The sharpness of the greens was also lightly accented with garlic and otherwise judiciously seasoned. A simple dish, but very well done.

The fried chicken’s skin was crispy and its meat juicy. The grease was not as pronounced as it was with the Crispy Squid dish. I also appreciated that the kitchen chopped the chicken into chop-stick friendly portions, making it easy to pop into the mouth and savor. Personally, I wish there was a little more assertive seasoning spice-wise, but it was well-salted and generally most of my companions liked this dish quite a bit.

The dish I ordered, the Beef Tendon with House Sauce, was a disappointment. Generally, I enjoy the gelatinous texture and mouthfeel of beef tendon, which I have found most of my non-Asian friends to consider confounding. But, to me, the palate coating sensation of melted tendon is one of the homiest, most comforting gustatory sensations, invoking stark sense-memories, of rolling banks of snow, of logs burning in the fireplace, and of cold puffs of crisp, gelid New England air (I grew up in an atypical household). Unfortunately, the sauce was heavy on processed tomato paste: one of my friends suggested they used ketchup…personally, it reminded me of Chef Boyardee Beefaroni (and I mean that quite literally). The sauce then dissipated quickly, leaving you with a long, bland, unctuous finish.

Service was very good for this type of restaurant. The waitress was attentive and quick. We never ran out of tea and water was regularly refilled. The courses came out in a sensible manner, with appetizers, vegetables and seafood, and the poultry and beef dishes coming last. Also, providing a free course was most welcome. But, I’m sure that it helped that two of my dining companions spoke Mandarin, so YMMV.

As we finished our meal, we ended up conversing for some time and we noticed some platters of food on the table next to us. This is an oft-repeated scene I am sure many others have witnessed, as the kitchen starts preparing dinner for the wait staff after a hard night’s service. And, almost without exception, the food is always different from what is served to the diners. Now, my friends (and I to a lesser extent) pride ourselves on our palates and our knowledge of true, authentic Asian cuisine. I, of course, expected food like ours to be plated and served, “real” Chinese food for palates attuned to those traditional flavors, But, instead, of the ornate seafood dishes, the delicate soups, the beef tendon and offal, the plates being set on the table are filled with dishes completely different from those served to us. We saw shredded cabbage, steamed cauliflower, and stir fried meat and potatoes. Hearty, simple food. And as we polished off our fish, soup dumplings, and our beef tendon, a Mandarin-speaking, Taiwanese friend of mine comments, “We never get the same food as the waiters.”

A&J Restaurant - Rockville

A&J Restaurant
1319 Rockville Pike, Ste C
Rockville, MD 20852

Although the neon sign in A&J's window describes the food as "authentic Northern Chinese dim sum," it perhaps would be better described as a Taiwanese small plates restaurant. The food is certainly quite unlike that found in other dim sum establishments in the area, which, to my mind, is a positive rather than a negative.

We ordered several dishes, hot and cold, and I generally found the cold dishes more successful than the hot. Highlights include the "thousand year old egg" served on a bed of whipped tofu, the spicy cold tripe, cold beef tendon, and the noodles in sesame sauce. Also tasty were the seaweed salad, the cold mustard greens, and the shredded tofu salad. These dishes were all delicate dishes that relied on freshness and a subtle acidity rather than power and heavy handed seasoning.

The warm dishes, on the other hand, were a bit more mixed. The hot noodle soup with braised beef was solid; the broth was clean and uncomplicated and the beef tender. We also had a traditional Taiwanese "Oil Stick," which is essentially an airy cruller, that was an unpretentious treat. But the dumplings we had were only so-so, and other dim sum places in the area serve better.

The service was relatively friendly, if a bit inattentive. But, considering I only spent $15 for the meal, and the place undoubtedly relies on quick turnover to sustain itself, any neglect caused by the waitstaff deserves a pass.

Originally posted on Yelp on 8/28/2010