I love Eden Center so much, despite only having made a handful of visits so far. Whether it be the grocery stores with bitter melon by the pound, the plethora of Vietnamese restaurants or the availability of bubble tea, the Asian shopping center is a clear destination spot for me. In the past week alone, I’ve had the chance to visit two of the most talked-about restaurants in the plaza. How did they measure up?
First on the list to visit was Huong Que (or “Four Sisters”), which Tom Sietsema is raving about every other minute. It’s got a cute, date-friendly atmosphere, and a novel-length menu.
I’d heard good things about the short ribs in a clay pot (I’m a sucker for short ribs). They tasted a bit more like boneless spare ribs than I’d expected, but they were DELICOUS, at once sweet and savory. The shrimp toast was arguably the best I’ve had in the area, crispy and featuring a plump portion of shrimp. My companion was a bit less fortunate – although he enjoyed his noodle dish, the waiter somehow never heard him order it. Luckily, one of the sisters approached our table to ask if everything was all right when she noticed my untouched meal, and both she and the waiter made hasty and apologetic repairations. Delicious food, polite service: I’ll be back.
A friend and I returned a few days later on his quest to find natto. The grocery stores couldn’t help us (too Japan-specific, I guess), but we tried not to make the trip a total loss, and ducked into Huong Viet for dinner. Definitely a more casual atmosphere than Huong Que, the place was bustling nonetheless.
When surveying the menu, I easily could have went for any of the many Pho and soup options on the list. Unfortunately, the temperature in the restaurant was almost stiflingly warm, killing my desire to consume any hot broth. I went with a meat and vermicelli dish instead – beef wrapped with bacon, accompanied by noodles. The dish was sweeter than I’d expected, with a hint of smokiness. Oddly, I could taste but not see the bacon. I went the “wrap your meat, veggies and noodles in rice paper” route, creating my own makeshift summer roll with my entree, and it all worked together nicely. My friend had a typical flat rice noodle dish with meat and seafood, and I definetely enjoyed what I could grab off his plate with my middling chopstick skills.
It’ll take more than a visit to each to call a winner in the food category (Huong Que has a head start). If you’re looking for a quick bite, Huong Viet fits the bill nicely (well, maybe not if you’re seeking soup…). If you’re looking for atmosphere, go the Que route. But my greatest recommendation would just be to visit Eden Center and start experimenting. And pick up some groceries and bubble tea while you’re there!
Eden Center
Wilson Boulevard at 7 Corners
Falls Church, VA

The hot sandwich chick from Cosi has finally agreed to give your cheesy ass one date. You know that a Classy lady like this needs the kinda lovin’ that only duck and muscles can provide, so you take her to Bistro du Coin just north of Dupont. The food is great, the wine is fine, but at the end of the night you’re stuck with a lonely drive home with the doggy bag. What happened?
This is a question that many an unsatisfied lust asks themselves about Bistro Du Coin. The food is really good- surprisingly good, the location is perfect…but every time I go in here I leave feeling wierded out and yucky (technical term). Its tough to quantify, but I’ve narrowed it down to three possibilities:
The waiters – There’s a special group of folks who confuse snobby briskness with efficiency, and this place has hired them all. Now, popular notion agrees that there’s a certain level of prissiness expected in a French restaurant. This is the same notion that looks for a gothy rudeness from every starbucks barista. I say, if you want to roleplay an unpleasant stereotype, be a waiter at Hooters.
The room – The colors in MacDonald’s restaurants have been specially chosen to psychologically induce hunger and create anxiety, the idea being “eat a lot, then get out”. These are the same colors as BOC has chosen for their dining room. Its also loud and echo-y, especially packed to capacity with…
The cramped tables – There’s something about having your silverware swept off your table by a passing diner for the nth time that makes you wonder…wouldn’t an extra three inches of arm room rock?
Alright, I don’t mean to be pissy (like a Bistro Du Coin waiter) but the food here is usually so yummy and cheap. I just wish I could bring myself to munch it more than once a year.

Mt. Vernon has long been considered (by me at least, but I am sure other people agree) the ethnic food epicenter of Baltimore. Within three blocks there is Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Afgahni, Italian, American fusion, and a number of other different cuisines. While this may be normal for DC, it is very exciting for Baltimoreans, members of a city more known for its drug and homicide rates rather then its food.
Dukem, an Ethiopian restaurant on 1100 Maryland Ave. is an impossibly crowded place that will definitely give the other ethnic restaurants competition. Ethiopian cuisine largely consists of interesting stews served on fluffy, pancake-like bread called injera. Generally the injera acts as the plate, and also as the method by which the food is conveyed to the mouth. One picks up some injera, scoops up some tasty lentils or lamb or beef stews, and pops the entire thing in the mouth.
At Dukem, the best option is to get the vegetarian or meat combination platters which give a little taste of everything. Particularly delicious are the lamb wot and beef tibs among the meats, and the spicy split lentil and shiro among the veggies. The food is spicy, though the degree tends to depend more on chance then anything. However, it is delicious, authentic, and the Kenyan beer, Tusker, is also not to be missed.
Dukem
1100 Maryland Ave
Baltimore, MD
410-385-0318

While I was away, it seems Logan Circle became the happening place for restaurants. Or so the word on the street goes. High on the list of “must try” restaurants was Logan Tavern, with its reputation for home-style comfort foods, like fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, and meatloaf. So, with high hopes for an 8 p.m. dinner on Saturday night, we made our way down to Logan Tavern, directly across from the Whole Foods on the corner of 14th & P St in Logan Circle — or, as the real estate agents like to call it, Dupont East.
Logan Tavern was packed full on Saturday night. They don’t take reservations for parties of less than 6, so upon our arrival, we spent about 45 minutes at the bar, drinking down incredibly alcoholic concoctions, like a Caipirinha that was all alcohol and almost no sugar, and a blueberry mojito, which had fresh blueberries floating it in but no blueberry taste. The restaurant is mostly booths, with a few large tables in the center.
We were seated at the front of the restaurant at a large booth. It took about 10 minutes before we were given bread and our drinks. In fact, the service throughout the evening was slow, although our waiter fully made up for it in character. The only thing our waiter had more of than tattoos were opinions, largely about the food. And, to be fair, he was right on all counts. Though we’d be recommended the “comfort foods” at Logan Tavern, we were quickly steered away. The fried chicken was, we were told, “boneless, skinless chicken breasts thrown in a deep fat fryer,” and the meatloaf was “meatloaf, like you could make at home.” Instead, he recommended we try the pork, the seafood stew, the steak, or the fish. If there’s anything we’ve learned in our year and a half of food blogging, it’s that when a waiter offers suggestions, you better listen.
We started our meal with two appetizers, Baby Back Ribs w. Honey-Hoisin Glaze and Buffalo Shrimp w. Blue Cheese Sauce . Both were fantastic. The ribs were succulent and the meat fell off the bone, as ribs should. The buffalo shrimp were large and the buffalo sauce was mixed together with cheese, creating a think sauce that was so good we got extra bread to dip in it. Through the rest of the meal was excellent, I’d say the appetizers are by far the best food in the house. Entrees all come with salad or soup, so we each had a house salad as our second course. The salad was fine but nothing spectacular and the soup didn’t sound especially interesting.
For dinner, I had the pork chop special, an incredibly thick pork chop served with garlic mashed potatoes and apple sauce. The pork chop was excellent, as was the mashed potatoes. The apple sauce was, well, apple sauce. There’s really not much you can do to apple sauce. I’d definitely recommend it. One of my dining companions had the Roasted Pork Loin in Sweet Asian Mustard on our waiter’s recommendation and said it was divine. The other had the Grilled Salmon, which she said was great, too, although by that point her Caipirinha and wine had left her a bit tipsy, so I wouldn’t trust her recommendations. We passed on dessert, although they looked incredible.
The only downside to the evening was the speed the food came out. It took a very long time between ordering and the delivery of the appetizers and an equally long time between the appetizers and the main course. Once they get those wrinkles worked out, though, I can see it being an excellent neighborhood restaurant.
Total bill for three people, including wine, two appetizers, and three mains, was about $110 before tip, not including our alcoholic concoctions before the meal.
Logan Tavern is part of another D.C. trilogy of restaurants, eatwelldc. The other two are Merkado Kitchen, directly next door, and Grillfish, at 1200 New Hampshire Avenue.
Logan Tavern
1423 P St. NW
Washington DC 20005

-AMG