Washington DC, heading south: Lunch?

Departing Chevy Chase via River Road West to the Beltway south just prior to noon Friday, heading to Raleigh.

Any chow significant lunch rec's within a few minutes of the highway, either DC area proper or points south?

Only one place comes to mind for me as a unique chowist type of destination, though it would have you going the wrong way from your ultimate direction. Back in the day when I'd visit the IBM Wash. Systems Ctr in Gaithersburg we'd always make at least one trip to Roy's Place. Roy's has lots of different stuff but it's really all about the sandwiches. Lots of sandwiches . . . lots and lots and lots and . . . OK, you get the point. It's even better if you have the time to linger over a beer or 2 but doesn't sound like that's an option given your "roadmap", so to speak. Anywhoo, if it doesn't work out for you this trip keep it in mind for a future visit.

Roy's Place: http://www.roysplacerestaurant.com/index.html

Some people swear by King's Barbecue in Petersburg, VA. I haven't been there in close to 20 years but it is a local institution.

There are several destinations within 3 miles of the Beltway--all Asian--as you head south through northern Virginia

The most celebrated Szechuan restaurant these days is China Star, which is west of the beltway on Little River Turnpike, almost to Fairfax.

China Star Fairfax
9600-G Main St.
Fairfax, VA
703-323-8822
Open daily for lunch and dinner. Dinner for two: around $40. Wheelchair accessible.

Going the other way at the same exit but called Annandale Road you will find A & J with Shanghai style dimsum.

A & J Restaurant
4316 Markham Street
Annandale, VA 22003
703.813.8181

Hours
Sun.-Thu. 11:30AM-9PM
Fri.-Sat. 11:30AM-9:30PM

A little harder to reach is a wonderful Burmese restaurant called Myanmar, between Falls Church and Merrifield on Lee Highway. Unfortunately there is no Beltwary exit for Lee Highway (US 29) so you have to approach it from US 50 (Arlington Boulevard.

Myanmar Restaurant
(703) 289-0013
7810 Lee Hwy
Falls Church, VA 22042

Or, for a real treat, stop at the Eden Center.....a Vietnamese shopping mall at Bailey's Crossroads (a few miles inside the Beltway off Arlington Blvd---Route 50). Pho, bahn mi, bakeries, vietnamese shops and restaurants abound....my favorite is the tofu place.

[i]Thanh Son Tofu, 6793/A Wilson Blvd., Eden Center, just north of Dragon Star, Falls Church, 703-534-1202.

They serve one main dish, tofu. That's right, just slabs of tofu, done three main ways. Five for a dollar. The best tofu around, period. Tofu to die for. Tofu. Wonderful tofu. The Vietnamese love this place. By the way, you'd better be in the mood for tofu.

Here is the link to the Eden Center web page.

http://www.edencenter.com/index.asp

Enjoy.

Jim Zurer
Washington DC

jzurer wrote:...Annandale Road you will find A & J with Shanghai style dimsum.

Friday is Durham-DC-Durham, a long day with an early start. So lunch the closer to the hwy the better. I'm leaning towards A&J, with Seoul Soondae or il mee Buffet as backup--all in Annandale with brainless Beltway access.

Many, many thanks.

jzurer wrote:Going the other way at the same exit but called Annandale Road you will find A & J with Shanghai style dimsum.

A & J Restaurant
4316 Markham Street
Annandale, VA 22003

A&J was great. I knew I had ordered right when the order taker finished writing, looked up and asked "Six things, right? For one person?"

Sounds like similar cuisine to Ed's Potstickers. Good cigar shaped potstickers, very good scallion pancakes, homemade hand cut wheat noodles in clear broth with mustard greens and minced pork, won tons in hot pepper sauce/broth, hot oil drenched cucumber wedges with garlic, chilled mustard greens and fresh edame, deeply flavored hot pepper oil (Gary, you need to try theirs). $25 in all; no menu item over $5.65. Only tried about ten per cent of menu items. This would be an EXC place for a group supper, and do the whole menu. Too bad its so far from Chicago.

I arrived back in Durham with more than enough appetizers for four people.

Less than six minutes from the Beltway to the parking lot....so optimum on all counts.