A new entry for the 9th Street Ethiopian row. The menu is narrower than most but quality is above average and the vegetarian sampler is especially noteworthy. If you are vegetarian and opting for the sampler, this may be your #1 bet in town. Not a palace but it has a “nicer” atmosphere than many of the other places in the area. First-rate kitfo as well.

This place has gotten very good reviews and in fact it is now one of the premier Indian restaurants around. Very consistent with some Kashmiri inspirations. Rich spicing, though without being too hot. The bread with the cherries and nuts is one special dish you can get here but most of it is excellent. It's not near anything else you might visit, but worth the trip.

It’s a delight to have this place so close to my house. Real Afghan food, excellent all around and yes they have kadu and aushak and the like. Get the Mantu.

It’s not quite as good as Star Restaurant Banquet, on Rt. 236, but it is well above average.

[update December 2007: new entry and located at 5700 Columbia Pike]

Yummy in taste and original in execution, the kitfo is great here and the place even looks nice. The best Ethiopian in this entire area, every dish here is strong.

Caribbean food, cooked by a Gambian. It is right now one of the best places in Dupont Circle. The best way to go here is to order vegetarian, including of course the spinach and the collard greens. The plantains by the way are by far the best of any area restaurant. The salads are good, too. I sampled some of the meat and fish-based main courses. They weren’t bad but I don’t think on their own they give enough reason to come here.

A resurrection of the old Gerard’s restaurant in the form of a Bistro. But it’s hardly any different. The old Gerard’s was great when it was “on” (only sometimes), after one visit it is hard for me to see the Bistro version as much of an improvement. It’s not.

1. Kobe Beef, Kobe, Japan.
2. Dry-aged beef in Hermosillo, Mexico.
3. Southern Brazil, near Curitiba.
4. Lockhart, Texas, most of all the brisket at Smitty's.

Maybe Argentina is next in line and it might place higher if I had consumed countryside barbecue there.

And yes, Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman are right: you should eat less beef. But Kobe is not the place to abstain. The reality is that eating beef in Kobe will make it very hard for you to eat beef almost anywhere else again.

"The best beef in the world?" Marginal Revolution, June 1, 2008

The new Rick Sandoval place, it opened in May of 2008. I went during the first week and thought it was clearly the best Mexican place around. Sandoval places don’t stay great for long, so now is the time to go.

It’s traditional Mexican rather than fusion but genuine and with high quality ingredients. The tortillas are excellent as is the guacamole and the queso fundido; make sure you use the sauce on the latter, and in a tortilla. I liked the chile relleno, the skirt steak tacos, and especially the carnitas. The chicken tamale was disappointing. The prices are entirely reasonable and in fact cheaper than the other restaurants in that lower level Tysons area. The existence of this place makes me very happy. Beware the crowds, however, at peak times it is very hard to get in here and they don't take traditional reservations.

That's the new Indian food place in the Food Court, at the Johnson Center at George Mason University. It's excellent, at least so far, thereby making it the first good food at GMU, ever. I'd put it in the top quarter of local Indian restaurants, though I expect time and the crowds to take its toll. The vegetarian sampler is the best dish and they serve Halal food as well. The samosas look overfried. The analytical question is why this took so long to happen, or alternatively why it has happened at all. I have read there is also a wave of innovation in hospital food as well.

[Run by the folks who own Sangam Restaurant, web site, 1211 N Glebe Road, Arlington, VA (in the Comfort Inn), 703-524-2728 [Yelp]]

The logistics are easy. All the best Chinese places are right off Main Street and even Manhattan cabs know the general area. To continue to the airport after your meal, just have the restaurant call you a ride. Many of the major Chinese places have private limousine connections just for this purpose; I’ve been charged rates ranging from $12 to $14. Conversely, you can arrive in LaGuardia and stop in Flushing before heading to Manhattan or elsewhere.

I went just last Sunday for what is, I believe, my sixth attempt at this strategy (I live in Virginia but I come to New York often). I’ve learned a few things. The Shanghai dumplings are supposed to be so hot they burn your mouth a little bit. Even if you are dining solo, order three dishes and just sample. (You needn’t be a hog, just ask yourself how soon you will get back.) Many of these restaurants post reviews, which usually have good ordering suggestions. If in doubt, it is more fruitful to look at the other tables than to read the menu. Not all these restaurants take reservations, so if you are going at Chinese lunch rush hour (10:30 to noon) leave some extra time. If you don’t have much luggage, Main Street in Flushing is one of the very best walks in all of New York.

The best Chinese places in Flushing change quickly, so one method is to Google “best Chinese restaurants Flushing” in the cab or in advance. At Joe’s Shanghai, get the hot and sour soup (the best I’ve ever had) and the juicy steamed pork buns, which are actually the famous Shanghai dumplings with liquid inside; the raw crab appetizer is a good dish not usually found elsewhere and it makes a nice cool offset to the other flavors. (There is a branch of this restaurant in Manhattan but I don’t think it compares.) At Spicy & Tasty, try the dry-cooked green beans, the dumplings in red chili sauce, the lamb dishes, the potato and green pepper (with vinegar), and the Dan Dan noodles, which I think are the best single dish for judging a Sichuan restaurant. Order fresh greens for relief, you will need it.

Overall the district is strong on Shanghai cuisine, Taiwanese cuisine, Cantonese, and Sichuan. If you’re undecided or can’t get into your favorite place, just walk up and down 37th Ave., near Main Street, and choose from a long row of excellent places. On Main Street you’ll also find delicious Chinese street food, pork buns, and dumplings, not attached to any formal restaurant.

And if you don’t care much for Chinese food, Jackson Heights, with some of New York’s best Indian food, is also only minutes away. Just think how much you are saving: what’s really scarce in life is your time and the mere willingness to get up and go. Just do it.

From "On the Way to the Airport . . ." on Bitten, a NYT blog, March 18, 2008

Joe's Shanghai, web site, 136-21 37th Avenue, Flushing, NY, 718-539-3838 [NYT | Yelp | A Guy In New York | openlist]

Spicy & Tasty, 39-07 Prince Street, Flushing, NY, 718-359-1601 [NYT | NY Mag | A Guy In New York | Yelp]

See also Chinatown Bus.

This is a real Chinese Muslim restaurant! I liked the humburgers [sic] best of all. Get lots of meat dishes, get lots of cumin, get noodles. Ask for help. Don’t let them pawn off their standard “Chinese” food on you. Be aggressive and firm. Just don't expect any pork...

They have Brazilian sandwiches, snacks, canned goods, and fried yucca thingies. Not an amazing selection but if you are yearning for a touch of Brazil this does in fact supply it.

Right now this is one of the two best places in town, along with CityZen. Puck’s places tend to decline within a few years (or sooner), so now is the time to go. Get as many appetizers and small dishes as you can, that is also a cheaper way to eat plus you get more selection.

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.