Franny's on Flatbush Avenue was possibly the best pizza I've had in the U.S., Gala Manor in Flushing was definitely the best dim sum I've eaten in this country.
Franny's, web site, 295 Flatbush Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, 718-230-0221 [NY Mag | MenuPages | insiderpages | Yelp | Slice | NYT]
Gala Manor, 37-02 Main Street, Flushing, NY, 718-888-9232 [Yelp | Eating in Translation | Dudes on Foods]
Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard, web site, 2621 University Blvd., Wheaton, MD, 240-290-9988 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | Yelp | Gayot]
Right now this is the best dim sum place around. They don’t just churn out the usual stuff, they are consistently interesting and make the dim sum with care. At times you might be frustrated by the delays, but that’s part of the signal of quality. First-rate greens too. I might add that they make stuff in batches, and you should stick around for about two hours, and save up space in your stomach, rather than filling up right away. Go slow, slow, slow, and make an afternoon of it.
China Garden, Rosslyn, 1100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-525-5317 [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | Gayot]
Supposed to be very good Cantonese food, popular with Chinese. Packed for dim sum on weekends.
Fortune, web site
The most varied selection of Dim Sum in Northern Virginia, in terms of variety, but not actually my favorite. Not fully consistent and now overpriced. And the new quarters are simply too huge, more suitable for a Chinese wedding, which is in fact what they are used for. By no means a bad restaurant, but I go to Mark’s Duck House for dim sum.
Mark's Duck House, 6184-A Arlington Blvd., Wilson Center 1, Falls Church, VA, 703-532-2125. Hard to see from the road, on Rt. 50 just east of Rt.7, north side of the street, look for the CVS. Usually opened. web site, [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Citysearch | Gayot]
A real Cantonese restaurant, replete with hanging ducks in the window and everything. Get the crispy pork, and also some variant of the noodles. I love the tofu as well. I am less enamored of the duck and chicken, but this is an excellent restaurant, and very authentic, in the hands of a wise orderer. It's also very cheap, so take advantage of the prices to order many items. Great dim sum too.
