The Washington Post-Tom Sietsemas 6 favorite places to eat in September

2023-08-16T12:55:08.493Z

Some restaurants took me back in time this month. One, in Maryland, is serving the kind of Chinese food I imagine people were eating in the Watergate era, when it opened. Another, in Washington, lets diners compare Japanese classics with more contemporary fare.

Other restaurants gave me a chance to taste the latest fashions. Stop me if I’ve typed this before, but scallion pancakes make great sandwiches, and if one newcomer gets its way, membership fees might be in more diners’ futures.

Herewith, another serving of restaurants that have fed me well since my last dispatch.

Far East

It’s not been an easy past few years for this veteran family-run Chinese restaurant in Rockville, which suffered a fire before the pandemic and had to shutter last January after a water pipe burst upstairs, necessitating a remodel of the entire establishment. When Far East reopened in June, regulars returned to a sprawling dining room outfitted with new chairs, booths and chandeliers, along with the restaurant’s original massive bronze mural depicting an ancient battle.

Hot tea rushed to linen-draped tables signals an old-school approach, and to hear manager Justin Wong tell it, not much has changed in the restaurant introduced by his Chinese grandfather in 1974 and now owned by his parents, Hong Kong-born David and Priscilla Wong. David leads the kitchen of nine chefs, who turn out tender sweet shrimp and crisp bell peppers cloaked in black bean sauce; squiggles of soy-sauced lamb in a heap of broccoli, red chiles and baby corn; and glistening snow peas and asparagus in a wash of garlic sauce. The long list is made possible by all the variations on themes; pork, chicken and flounder can all be ordered sweet and sour, for instance.

A magnet for groups, Far East has tables big enough for up to 14 people in its main dining room, set off with handsome illuminated paintings of cranes and flowers, and three banquet rooms upstairs. Dim sum is served daily for lunch, although weekends are when customers can order their steamed siu mai and pork buns off roving carts instead of from just a list.

As the restaurant approaches its 50th anniversary, Justin Wong attributes Far East’s longevity to consistency. “We want to make people happy,” says the man of many hats, whom I encountered as a helpful waiter on a recent visit. Sure enough, the portion sizes seem designed with leftovers in mind, and the niceties extend to red cloth napkins and gratis tea with the purchase of at least one entree. The infrequent miss, like soggy broccoli in a sliced beef dish, is outnumbered by the menu’s many hits, including some of the best shrimp toast, freckled with sesame seeds, in recent memory and sweet and sour cabbage that balances both flavors while delivering a stab of heat from fresh ginger.

The restaurant’s traditional menu, which you can wash back with tiki drinks, won’t be confused with any from Peter Chang, the region’s innovative Chinese standard-bearer. But sometimes, retro is just what you crave, and Far East invariably delivers.

5055 Nicholson Lane, Rockville. 301-881-5552. fareastrockvillemd.com. Open for indoor dining, delivery and takeout. Dinner entrees, $15.50 to $64.95 (for whole duck).

Any Day Now

Everyone talks up the breakfast sandwiches here, and they live up to the hype. Steamed eggs and a choice of bacon, sausage or kimchi, bound in a crisp, housemade scallion pancake, also explain any lines you might encounter in the morning at this winning Navy Yard collaboration between veteran chefs Tim Ma and Matt Sperber.

Any Day Now shines from morning to night

Dinner turns out to offer even more rewards, though, clever riffs on familiar dishes.

Take the cucumber salad, which a server compares to a gyro. Sure enough, the assembly of cucumber chunks, housemade merguez and feta cheese, staged with fresh mint and a puddle of toum and tahini, tastes like the Greek staple — a gyro by way of Alice Waters, maybe. Oxtail tagliatelle, on the other hand, is a mash-up between the beef lo mein served at Lucky Danger, Ma’s American Chinese takeout, and Taiwanese beef noodle soup, one of his childhood memories. Any Italian preconceptions are erased by the inclusion of fermented pineapple and fresh mint in the pleasing pasta. And before “The Bear” had viewers salivating over an omelet stuffed with Boursin cheese and sprinkled with potato chips, the menu at All Day Now introduced a similar “fancy” omelet garnished with truffles and caviar — yours for $22.

The dining room is as relaxed as the food is fun. By day, the botanical-topped tables and low couches are populated by almost as many laptops as sandwich eaters and coffee drinkers. Come evening, a layer of sophistication is applied to the airy retreat as cocktails take the place of coffee cups. Anytime, the cooking underscores Ma’s intention for customers: “Not what they can get at home.”

2 I St. SE. No phone number. anydaynowdc.com. Open for indoor dining. Dinner entrees, $22 to $34.

Charleston

Shortly after the doors opened on a recent Saturday night, I watched chef Cindy Wolf walk over to a corner table in her deluxe Baltimore restaurant and adjust the brightness of two elegant table lamps before returning to her post at the kitchen. The mistress of ceremonies at one of the finest dining destinations on the East Coast fusses over the whole show at Charleston, outfitted with handsome cheese and spirits carts that you see the moment you step inside and carved into spaces that revel in good taste.

Charleston is a beacon of grace in Baltimore

Charleston remains the kind of restaurant whose staff will run across the street for a necessary ingredient in the cocktail you requested, and allow you to compose your own tasting menu — three, four, five or six courses — from more than 30 (!) dishes served on Bernardaud china.

Late summer found me gravitating to the season’s bounty — heirloom tomatoes and peaches alternating with creamy dots of goat cheese and splashed with champagne vinaigrette — and the best, breadless BLT of my life, a single roasted scallop and upland cress atop a tomato slice alongside thick, smoky bacon. Playing the role of mayonnaise was a ring of lemony butter. Much as I try to stick to the script, a special of sweetbreads dappled with chimichurri and garnished with a miniature sweetbread-stuffed empanada rewarded me with a great organ recital. The kitchen doesn’t set boundaries for itself. That’s a cue to slice into bison tenderloin, circled in a velvety roasted poblano cream sauce and set off with a rectangle of polenta and grilled split jalapeño — an ode to the American Southwest.

The wine list is a dream of a book that the staff is happy to guide you through, then thoughtfully pour tastes from multiple bottles if you’re undecided. Dessert is part of every dinner, so even if you go for three courses, dessert makes it four courses, a bonus. A mere glance of the cobblers, tarts and ice creams reminds you which month you’re in.

This is a restaurant where you should follow your heart and get what you want, while keeping in mind Wolf made a reputation for herself as a Southern cook in the ’90s at Georgia Brown’s in the District. If you’ve never been, fried oysters are a must, and don’t worry, we all ask for seconds of the delicate cornbread sticks — the best from the best, a chef who’s been nominated nine times for her culinary prowess in the Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation. As far as I’m concerned, she’s already good as gold.

1000 Lancaster St., Baltimore. 410-332-7373. charlestonrestaurant.com. Open for indoor dining. Three courses for $89 to six courses for $179.

Dear Sushi

One of several attractions within Love, Makoto, a high-end Japanese food hall, Dear Sushi represents a homecoming for Makoto Okuwa, who got his start in the United States at Sushi Taro in Washington and went on to open restaurants of his own in such far-flung spots as Panama, Mexico and Brazil. With passion as its theme, Dear Sushi issues a faux love letter of a menu to guests, who are tickled to see the heart shapes created when soy sauce is poured into saucers.

Love, Makoto writes a food-hall-size mash note to the tastes of Japan

The omakase, or chef’s choice, starts with some snacks and hand rolls, one black with nori and filled with tuna, sweet Tokyo green onions and wasabi, the second white with soy paper and stuffed with warm crab. Served side by side in a little wooden cradle, the hand rolls are introduced as “old” and “new,” respectively.

Okuwa’s reverence for tradition and openness to innovation repeat themselves with the sushi that follows. One piece of bluefin tuna, red as rare beef, is marinated in soy sauce and lit with wasabi — a classic treatment — while the second piece is modernized with a leek and miso sauce and a garnish of blowtorched foie gras. The common denominator among the sushi is fish that shines no matter its preparation. A hit of yuzu salt and shiso flower do not detract from the delicate sweetness of a slice of hamachi, for instance. Little wet naps on the table signal the chef’s wish that you use your fingers, not chopsticks, to eat sushi.

In the heat of summer, the kitchen offered a fetching “strawberry” — strawberry mousse and jam robed in white chocolate — on a pale green butter cookie: a light bite after some bright lights.

200 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-992-7730. lovemakoto.com. Open for indoor dining. Omakase, $75 per person.

Elephant Jumps

The kitchen doesn’t pull any punches. One bite into the truly “spicy” papaya salad with shrimp and pork rinds and my buddy, a dedicated hothead, is calling for “a refill of ice water and a fire extinguisher, please.”

No one comes for the decor, which consists of some framed elephant tapestries and a list of specials written in colored chalk in a square, 32-seat dining room overlooking a parking lot in the Yorktowne Shopping Center.

Then again, your eyes are probably trained on what’s on the table — optimally fried, basil-laced soft-shell crabs when they’re in season and banana blossom salad when it appears as a special. The salad sounds like a pleasant melody but eats like a bugle blast, what with fried shallots, chili jam, lime juice, fresh mint and roasted coconut engaging with the steamed banana blossoms, chicken and shrimp in your mouth.

The Thai menu, created by chef Panida Pinyolaksana, runs dozens of dishes long. Turn to the “best of our menu” for help in winnowing the many choices. Let me steer you to pork belly — crisped in a wok in which chiles, garlic and oyster sauce get a head start — completed with onions, basil and a hint of butter. Another prize is the duck leg that shares its bowl with sour cabbage and egg noodles, the latter a nice sponge for the red coconut curry that fairly pulses with cumin.

Lucky neighbors: The veteran restaurant delivers free with a $20 minimum order within a 3-mile radius, and for just $8 for three to five miles.

8110 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. 703-942-6600. elephantjumps.com. Open for indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery. Entrees, $16 to $25.

Méli Wine & Mezze

What sets this newcomer in the glam Silva apartment building in Adams Morgan apart from the Greek competition is a club membership. Méli charges $25 a year for two diners or $50 for up to five, and patrons can try before they buy. The money, minus credit card processing fees, goes to the neighborhood Reed Cooke Club, which distributes it to 10 or so local nonprofits. For the price of a couple of cocktails, subscribers can do some good outside the Silva’s walls.

Méli serves Greek food and drink so good you’ll want to join the club

Méli is the latest from Eastern Point Collective, a group of places to eat and drink on the Hill from founder Hollis Wells Silverman, formerly of ThinkFoodGroup. The innovative restaurateur dipped into her talent pool for staff here; chef de cuisine Keri Wieczorek and general manager and sommelier Danya Degen both come from the Duck & the Peach across town. The menu, mostly dips and skewers, is small enough that two of you could graze through it in a couple of visits, but with sufficient diversions to keep you coming back.

Ease in with some hummus, pulsing with garlic and cumin and set off with roasted carrot coins and fiery harissa “crunch,” and falafel, their centers bright green with cilantro, dill and parsley. Move on to something grilled, maybe the herby chicken souvlaki or prawns, sassy with lemon and harissa. By all means, tap Degen for some Greek wine recommendations (her descriptions are a hoot) and stick around for the ethereal milk pudding speckled with vanilla bean paste and scented with orange blossom water.

Because of where it’s staged, the sleek Greek retreat with the air of a museum cafe isn’t allowed to announce itself with exterior lights or signage. Just look for the little sandwich board leading to a concrete path leading to a glass door leading to a fun addition to the neighborhood.

1630 Columbia Rd. NW. 202-978-2333. melidc.com. Open for indoor and outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery. Skewers, $10 to $35.