China Star - Authentic Chinese Szechuan Cuisine

China Star
9600 Main St # G
Fairfax, VA 22031-3798
www.chinastarfood.com

Exterior of Restaurant

China Star is one of my favorite chinese restaurants.  This is not just any chinese restaurant though.  It is Szechuan style, meaning it's spicy!  If you like heat this is the place to go!  They serve up authentic chinese dishes, but also have the typical americanized dishes like "Happy Family" or fried rice.

Mapo Tofu

We usually get mapo tofu and scallion fried fish.  The mapo tofu is wonderful and just out of this world!  It is a tofu based dish with a fiery sauce with bits of ground pork.  You can see the chili oil glistening on the top.  Sometimes the mapo tofu may seem a little salty but it pairs perfectly with the white rice.  Although uncomfirmed, I'm also positive that the tofu is homemade.  The tofu has such a soft and silky texture that I've yet to find in a regular asian market.  I once tried the mapo tofu at Hong Kong Palace in Falls Church because it is also supposed to be a Szechuan style restaurant but it really had nothing at all on China Star.  We've also tried several other items on the menu including the sparerib with tofu and seaweed soup, crabmeat with asparagus chowder, and lamb in sizzling pot.  They were ok but not our favorites.

Scallion Fried Fish

We first discovered the scallion fried fish by asking the waiter for a recommended fish dish.  The fish is battered and deep fried and is garnished with chili peppers, cilantro, watercress.  I think there is tumeric in the batter to give it that slightly yellow color.  The fish is a little spicy with a nice crust.   We tried to emulate this dish using a catfish that we caught at Burke Lake.  The dish was pretty close, but I think we should leave it to the pros.

The verdict?  Definitely, definitely, definitely if you're in Fairfax come try China Star!  Heck, even if you're not in Fairfax drive over here to eat.  You won't be disappointed!

A Word From David and Anita

To all of our loyal readers please accept our apologies for not updating the site in a timely manner.  Rest assured that we have definitely been eating over the past several months and we have certainly been collecting images and reviews that we plan on posting to the site.

As a way of saying thank you and as a little holiday present we will be updating the site at least 1 time a week through the end of the year.  Remember you can always eat with us, every bite of the way!

Season Eatings,
David and Anita

Red Mango - Close But Still Not Pinkberry

Red Mango
431 W Maple Ave
Ste A
Vienna, VA 22180
www.redmangousa.com

Red Mango Frozen Yogurt

There seems to be a new frozen yogurt (if you're down with the lingo - "fro yo") store popping up every other day.  Red Mango is actually one of the original fro yo places.  Some suggest that Pinkberry actually stole a lot of the ideas and concepts from Red Mango.  I'm not going to weigh in on that, I will, however, tell you what I think of their frozen yogurt.

I didn't even realize there is a Red Mango in Vienna, VA.  It's really tucked away.  I first discovered Pinkberry in the winter of 2007 and I thought it was the best frozen dessert ever!  The taste was a little tart and yet a little sweet and so clean on the palette.  The choice of toppings only further complimented the sweet and tartness of the yogurt.

Red Mango is a little different from Pinkberry in a couple of ways.  The most obvious difference is that the Red Mango in Vienna is self service.  That means that the customers selects the frozen yogurt flavor and the toppings and the finished product is weighed at the cash register.  Red Mango has a larger selection of flavors than Pinkberry, but the texture of the yogurt itself is a little more watery and therefore more icy than that of Pinkberry.

The verdict?  While Red Mango isn't as good as Pinkberry in terms of frozen yogurt flavor and quality, the self  service option is very appealing!  The ability to mix and match fro yo flavors and toppings can make it more enticing than even Pinkberry.  If you've never had fro yo or even if you have, Red Mango in Vienna is definitely worth a visit!

Vinh Kee - Late Night Chinese Restaurant That Smells Like the Zoo

Vinh Kee
3103 Graham Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
http://www.vinhkeerestaurant.com/

Hot and Sour Soup

After eating yogurt bingsoo at Shilla Bakery a couple of people were hungry so we went to Vinh Kee to eat.  I had never been here before, but I have driven by here almost everyday on the way to work.  Vinh Kee is not to be confused with Miu Kee and Full Kee, both of which I also drive by on an almost daily basis.  I had always wanted to try Vinh Kee.  The first thing I noticed when I walked in was a terrible smell.  I guess it smelled like a cross between a nasty seafood department and an animal exhibit at the zoo.  We ordered hot and sour soup, one of the standards by which I judge a chinese restaurant.  There's only one large size for the soup for a staggering $6.95 and it's not even a seafood hot and sour soup.  We also ordered the Vinh Kee chicken - a dish they are well known for.  it's basically crispy fried chicken.  We got a half sized portion.  The hot and sour soup came out first.  When the waiter brought it out it didn't even look like soup.  The serving container looked more like a chaffing dish than a soup terrine.

Vinh Kee Chicken

The consistency was very thick.  Maybe it had been over reduced after being kept warm all day long, but even so the soup was extremely sour.  The bits of chopped up red pepper skin were tough and hard to swallow.  This probably the second worst hot and sour soup that I've ever eaten.  The worst was from Peking Village II.  That soup was actually sweet tasting which is worse than being overly acidic.  The hot and sour soup did have lily flower buds in it, something that most chinese restaurants omit.  Too bad the rest of the soup was no good.  The Vinh Kee chicken was very crispy with bits of crunchy minced garlic on top.  The chicken was fairly moist, especially considering how crispy the skin was.  The problem was the chicken didn't have any flavor.  Some marinading or some sauce would have made the dish a lot better.  Another person at the table ordered wonton noodle soup.  I got to try a little of the broth, but it was waaaaaay too salty!  Anita said it too was caused from over-reducing.  Beef and cabbage was the final dish that someone else ordered.  I thought it was pretty average.  Nothing to write  home about.

The verdict?  If you're in the Falls Church area and it's late at night I'd probably recommend you go to IHOP next door!  Don't bother with Vinh Kee.