They fall into seven basic categories, although they're not labeled that way on the menu: big meal-in-a-bowl soups with meat and noodles (items 0 through 8) big bowls of noodles with sauce (11 through 15) smaller versions of the soups without noodles (21 through 28) meats or vegetables served over rice (31 through 33) dim sum snacks (40 through 56) small, stand-alone portions of cured or marinated meats (61 through 65) and salads of bean curd and vegetables (71 through 85). ![]() What's left? A long menu of wonderful dishes. Meats are used sparingly, and you won't find any seafood at all. The prices, happily, are at least 20 years behind the times, with the most expensive item weighing in at $4.95. There are lots of wheat-based dishes in this cuisine and little in the way of rice. It's a spare but pleasant little restaurant, squeaky-clean and jammed with Chinese families on weekends. (Funny, though, how our sense of adventure can wane at the prospect of duck tongue and pig ears.) Ready for a preview of what may be the next stage? Try A & J, the only Washington area outpost of an international chain of Northern Chinese restaurants with outlets in Taipei, Beijing, Los Angeles and San Jose. And since this is also the Age of Complete Disclosure, we're demanding to know what those untranslated Chinese menus say. Now, in the Cantonese Ascendancy, restaurants are hung with roasted birds and pigs instead of paper lanterns, and we're rediscovering animal fat. The Dim Sum Dynasty had us popping mini-pastries with our fingers. Then came the Great Szechuan-Hunan Revolution, when we attacked General Tso's chicken with chopsticks. First there was the Red-and-Gold-Dragon Period, when everybody ate egg foo yong with a fork. Consider the evolution of the Chinese restaurant. Full dinner with tax and tip about $12 per person. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. Pricing is pretty comparable to Chinatown as well - not bad, but not a steal.By Mark Barnett Gail Barnett September 21, 1997Ī & J RESTAURANT - 1319-C ROCKVILLE PIKE, ROCKVILLE. The seating area has lots of windows (if you sit close to them) so it a bit lighter and sunnier than most places in Chinatown. ![]() Definitely I will go back for my Dim Sum fix when I'm in the area. I like this tea over the others because its a bit "stronger" and can cut thru the "grease" and heaviness that accompanies Dim Sum. Ordered the "Bo Lay" tea - it was perfect but has a tendency to get stronger over time so make sure to add more water. Couldn't get anyone to eat chicken feet with me but I hear they are great and looked awesome. We ate some tofu skin wrapped nummy thing too (looks like "old skin" but man great flavor). Also had the "meatballs" and they were delicious but they were served luke warm (didn't stop us to eating them!). The Rice Congee (which we added a bit of pepper and soy sauce to) was amazing - my first experience with congee that I slurped down to the last drop! Sui Mai was decent (I ate 2 damn steamers of them myself!) - but the shrimp "Har Gow" was - meh. ![]() The "broccoli/green leafy things" with the hoison sauce was perfect - just crisp and tender with great flavor. The Pork Buns (buns with bbq pork) was awesome, as were the light airy sugary donut things (as you can tell, I have no idea of the real chinese terms here). All the "dim sum" was very good with some standouts. As a traditional Dim Sum place, they have the people pushing carts around with all the dim sum stuff you would want. We went here on a Sunday morning at 11 and got in without an issue (its huge!) but by noon when we were leaving it was packed! So beware.
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