Greatest Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: April 3

With Eater editors steadily eating out throughout city, we come throughout plenty of standout dishes, and we don’t wish to maintain again any secrets and techniques. Welcome to Eater DC’s rotating roundup of one of the best issues we ate as of late.

Pork banh mi at 54 Noodles

D.C.’s newest 54 Noodles simply stuffed a giant restaurant gap left behind by Indian spot Masala Artwork, which closed its 4th Avenue SW locale a 12 months in the past. The hovering Vietnamese substitute breathes new life into the somewhat-desolate eating strip throughout from Safeway and the Waterfront Metro cease. The Southwest newcomer does extra than simply noodles properly, as seen in my fabulous pork banh mi — and the sizable sandwich can be simply $10. I needed to strive some form of namesake noodle too, and its beef brisket pho did the trick on a chilly evening. Positively spring for generously portioned starters like summer time rolls jam-packed with shrimp ($7). I additionally plowed by means of a row of slick dumplings, which received a pleasant texture distinction from crunchy ginger shavings. The Vietnamese iced espresso right here is as sturdy because it will get, and my complete pickup order held up properly on the stroll house. 1101 4th Avenue SW — Tierney Plumb

Crispy cauliflower at Tapori

The brand new Tapori on H Avenue is a buzzy deal with of a restaurant, courtesy of the Daru staff — even on a weeknight, it was brimming with life, courtesy of packed crowds, enjoyable decor, and a savvy, chatty waitress. Every little thing our group sampled, from salty, achar-spiked martinis to a intelligent “chop” riff on paneer, caught our consideration, however the dish I’m prepared to right away return again for is the Cauliflower 65. Good red-orange and dusted with elements like roasted garlic, curry leaf, and mustard seed, the deep-fried vegetable (served with kashmiri chili mayo) is the form of appetizer you order a second spherical of for the desk. 600 H Avenue NE — Missy Frederick

AYCE bubble pancakes at Peter Chang

Missy Frederick/Eater DC

Peter Chang is a restaurant that’s laborious for my husband and I to go to when it’s simply the 2 of us. We nonetheless do, to be clear, however I discover myself all the time over-ordering so I can strive a number of issues, and the beneficiant portion sizes are inclined to result in leftovers for days. It appears the restaurant has an answer, courtesy of their new all-you-can-eat lunch menu; it’s $32 on the Arlington location, and is even obtainable on weekends. A whopping 40 or so dishes can be found, together with some icons like bamboo fish and the epic scallion bubble pancake; I used it as a chance to pattern some objects I don’t usually order there, like Mongolian beef and salt and pepper shrimp. There’s a very intensive dim sum choice, although lots of the conventional Sichuan dishes from the common menu are usually not obtainable. The restaurant has some good limitations in-built to keep away from waste, too — every merchandise you order is barely a small plate portion (you’ll be able to order extra in the event you like), all desk members should take part, you’ll be able to’t convey house a doggy bag, and there’s a surcharge in the event you create extra leftovers. This implies extra selection for smaller events like ours — however you’ll probably nonetheless end up eager to convey a gaggle to strive much more issues. 2503-E N Harrison Avenue, Arlington, Virginia — M.F.

Beautiful tea at Dolan Uyghur

Dolan Uyghur now has a Falls Church location, which suggests I can pattern dishes like their toothsome home beef laghman noodles and crispy cheese cigars in a revamped, serene ambiance the place Pizzeria Orso was. No matter you order from the intensive menu, remember to embody a pot of the Dolan chai. The tea is made with such elements as rose, purple dates, and wolf berry; it’s decidedly floral, however pleasantly so; we favored it sufficient to buy some retail to convey house and make ourselves. 400 S. Maple Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia — M.F.

Inventive curry at Marufuji

Missy Frederick/Eater DC

The hype round Japanese grocery retailer Marufuji is intensive; the crowds have been so intense on the primary Saturday I visited that I ended up turning round after a 15-minute walk-through, unwilling to face within the big cashier line snaking all through the shop. I made a decision to come back again on a weekday on the sooner aspect of lunch, and it was the best name; I had no actual wait and was capable of pattern a few of the cafeteria choices. And the donburi are definitely worth the go to if the crowds aren’t too intense; there’s a pleasant gyudon (beef bowl), and I notably loved the nice and cozy Japanese curry topped with a crispy tonkatsu cutlet. 8520 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia — M.F.

Grilled Oaxacan shrimp at DLeña

DLeña has a particular honey-centric menu now by means of April 22 that makes use of sustainably obtained honey and pollen to attract consideration to what number of meals depend on bees. Worldwide chef Richard Sandoval is presently working his yearly marketing campaign to assist set up hives all over the world and educate youngsters on the survival of bees. The “Viva Abejas” menu’s coconut tuna ceviche is an actual standout, with creamy coconut milk balancing out the candy orange blossom honey and fresno chiles within the dish. Nevertheless, my favourite factor I sampled throughout a latest go to to strive the brand new menu was my grilled shrimp entree. The 4 big head-on shrimps have been coated in a easy garlic marinade and served on prime of grilled inexperienced onions, roasted corn, and guava mole. The marinade and mole have been extremely scrumptious, and I’ll have embarrassed myself by sucking on each single shrimp head to get the final juicy bits of taste. Sarcastically, I used to be so enamored with the dish that I fully forgot concerning the tortillas it got here with, however they made beautiful breakfast tacos the following day. 476 Ok Avenue NW — Emily Venezky

Emily Venezky/Eater DC

Pappardelle at L’Ardente

I had a beautiful weekday meal at L’Ardente after we had a sudden chilly spell this previous month and I used to be craving carbs. The lasagna at this glam Italian spot is well-known for its indulgent 40 layers of quick rib and truffle mornay sauce, however the pappardelle is unquestionably a sleeper hit in its pasta part. The heavy white ragu and veal are balanced out by the spicy bits of inexperienced chilis and barely pickled mushrooms on this dish, all marrying along with the vast housemade noodles. I used to be additionally pleasantly shocked by the funghi sourdough pizza, which has that excellent chewy crust from the open kitchen’s pizza oven. With the pizzas all costing $25 or much less, I’m planning to return for a extra chill evening on the bar, peering into that fiery pizza oven and splitting a pie and some ciccheti with a good friend. 200 Massachusetts Avenue NW — E.V.