Southeast Impression, web site, 9530 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax, VA, 703-865-4884 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Washingtonian | FFX Now | Restaurantji] Real Malaysian food, right near my house! They have Thai dishes too, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get around to trying them. The Nasi Lemak is my top recommendation here. Most dishes are good, though the laksa I found too tame. The others you can improve through the condiments. Good beef rendang. The roti with lentils appetizer is top-tier. Quality vegetables. So my standard of living has gone up by quite a bit. Note this is a ..read more

Piers emails me: You’re a NJ native and great at finding good restaurants. So what are the rules for finding good old school American Italian restaurants? Not like modern farm to table places full of natural light in Brooklyn or SF, you know what I mean? Review aggregators are useless. Horrid “egg noodles and ketchup” places get high scores just for being family run. It is harder and harder to find such places. I think the Latino-ization of the New Jersey heartland largely has been a good thing, and also a good thing for food (Peruvian!), but it hasn’t helped Italian dining very much. More a ..read more

Mum Aroi, web site, 5892 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA (Baileys Crossroads area), 703-671-4222 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Restaurantji | Annandale Today] This place has the same chef as the former Duangrat’s Oriental Food Mart, now relabeled Thai Value, and is right next door. But now it is also a proper sit-down restaurant, but they kept the food true to its earlier mom and pop roots. Could it be overall the most authentic Thai food around? In any case it sits in the top tier of local NoVa restaurants. The Nam Khao is excellent, as are the “dumplings” (they’re not ..read more

Sichuan Legend Hot Pot, web site, 9992 Main St., Fairfax, VA, 703-865-7773, 571-536-7780, closed Tuesday (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Restaurant Guru] I don’t love most hot pot but the core Sichuan dishes here are outstanding. Cooked by Chengdu chefs, this is Chinese food for Chinese diners. The best ma po tofu around. The best cumin fish around. Reasonable price too. Ten years ago we would have been amazed this place exists, but in 2024 somehow it doesn’t get attention at all. And yes, you do have to ask for the Chinese menu. Should be in everyone’s repertoire, it is o ..read more

JD Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar, web site, 6669 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA, 703-717-3871, usually open and music Saturday nights (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Restaurant Guru | RoadTrippers | Annandale Today] Monarch Ethiopian used to be in this space, before that Dama. This place is very good, and especially noteworthy for the freshness of the food and the flavors. Excellent kitfo, vegetables, definitely above average. Sometimes the different Ethiopian places blur into each other a bit, but this is the one closest to me, so it will get repeated visits. Nicer t ..read more

Hu Tieu Mi Lacay Cho Lon, web site, 6793-D Wilson Blvd., Falls Church, VA (Edene Center), 703-531-1420 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | RoadTrippers] Most of all, good noodle soups. Good vermicelli dishes. Appeals to the more traditional Vietnamese crowd, rather than the young and hip. Cash only. This won’t ever be a top place in Eden Center, but you can do worse than to eat here. Predictably delivers with good content on some of the main Vietnamese dishes and for reasonable prices.   Hu Tiu Mi Lacay Cho Lon – Eden Center   ..read more

Pho Ga Vang, web site, 6767 Wilson Blvd., Eden Center, Falls Church, VA (inside Mr. Wish), 571-375-8281 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Washingtonian | Reddit | NoVA Mag] Most of all, I am pleased to see that the Great Vietnamese Stagnation in northern Virginia is over. Eden Center, in addition to Truong Tien, has another new excellent place. This one is a tip from Jessica Sidman. The lemon grass chicken plate with rice is superb, one of the very best offerings in all of Eden Center. The pho is well above average. The whole place feels fresh and fun and attracts a young cr ..read more

Nue Elegantly Vietnamese, web site, 944 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA, 571-777-9599 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Arlington Mag] Sort of fusion, sort of fancy, way too loud. I quite liked the salad and the asparagus soup, but the coconut rice struck me as too bland and also a little too sweet. Somehow this is just not my kind of place. Some will like it, but for me the price + noise = value proposition just isn’t there ..read more

Truong Tien, web site, 6763 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church, VA, Eden Center, inside the mall, the back end far from the road, 703-216-2868 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | WaPo | Reddit] The best Vietnamese place around right now (Nov. 2023). Everything seems to be quite good, many Hue dishes as well. Get the little scoopy things that you dip in a sauce. Good Seven Courses of Beef, a smaller version. Good pho. It’s just better than the other places, and somehow it reminds me more of the Westminster Vietnamese places in Orange County, CA. Note it is small and fills up early. Let ..read more

Joon, web site, 8045 Leesburg Pike, Tysons, VA (in that strip mall right next to the Tiffany’s), 571-378-1390 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | Washingtonian | Washington Post | Arlington Mag] One of the very best places around, for any cuisine. The kabobs are OK, but the real stars are some of the side dishes. Get the cucumber salad, especially if the pomegranate seeds garnish is in season. They serve best Mast-o-Moseer I ever have had, use it on the bread and on the meats. A friend of mine called the Cherry Rice “the best rice I’ve had, ever.” That order is a must. Very go ..read more