Dan-dan noodles at Red Pearl in Columbia. Photograph by Scott Suchman.

Going out for Chinese on Christmas Day is a time-honored tradition among Jewish people, since Chinese restaurants almost always remain open on December 24 and 25. These days, a lot of other sorts of restaurants serve through the holidays (see our full roundup here), but since the Washington area’s best Chinese restaurants are fairly far-flung, the season presents the chance to travel to a new neighborhood. Inspired by a recent post on New York’s Grub Street blog, we thought we’d share eleven of Todd Kliman’s favorite Chinese restaurants in the area—all of which are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Enjoy.

The dish in question: General Tso's Sweetbreads by Billy Klein. Photograph by Erik Uecke

The Washington Post reports that Great Wall Szechuan House on 14th Street is getting a makeover to become “something more than a take-out,” providing diners more seating room to sample chef Yuan Chen’s fiery Szechuan cooking. But some of Great Wall’s neighbors, among them chef Billy Klein of Café Saint-Ex, are addicted to the Chinese-American fare that the foodies pass over for the more “authentic” menu. In fact, Klein has ordered the same thing at least once a week for the past ten years: General Tso’s Chicken.

BLT Steak is a prime haunt for spying politicos, and now you can spot them on the menu, as well. Chef Victor Albisu, a self-proclaimed C-SPAN junkie, just debuted a lunchtime burger menu, and each sandwich is named after players and events in the political scene.

Look away, coffee snobs. While we may not understand the excitement over the return of the McRib (what’s with that, people?), there is one chain restaurant product to which we have an inexplicable, slightly shame-inducing addiction: the pumpkin spice latte. In autumns past, we’ve begrudgingly braved the morning lines that snake around Starbucks more times than we’d care to admit for a hit of that toasty-sweet goodness. But this year, the folks in tents down at Occupy DC have us rethinking where we should spend our hard-earned cash. For those looking to spread the love to some local establishments, here’s a quick rundown of other Washington-area coffee shops ready to satiate your pumpkin spice craving.

Want your Killer Cakes with bloody-looking strawberries? Photograph by Scott Suchman

Coming up with a good cookbook title can be challenging (remember Cooking With Pooh?), and the same goes for restaurant dishes. While they may be perfectly tasty, here are eight of Washington’s most dubiously named offerings, all on a menu near you.

Sun Drenched Tropical Salad
Where: Pusser’s Caribbean Grille in Annapolis
Remember when you left the salad out during a picnic and it got all sun-drenched—that is, wilted and hot?

Braised Wrinkled String Bean
Where: Spices in DC’s Cleveland Park
The idea of a lone, wizened bean isn’t all that appealing. Even one cooked with Szechuan-preserved vegetables.

Memphis Glamburger
Where: Cheesecake Factory (multiple area locations)
Nothing says glamour like a hefty patty that’s topped with pulled-pork barbecue, coleslaw, mayonnaise, and melted cheddar.

The Midas Touch cupcake, a toffee-pear cake with 12 year rum and almond creme, and the Headless Horseman, a pumpkin-walnut cupcake with Blanton's Bourbon and cream-cheese frosting. Photograph by Anna Spiegel

Washington is saturated with cupcake shops, but PS 7’s bartender Gina Chersevani and pastry chef Lauren Whitledge have managed to make a worthy contribution: alcohol-packed sweets they call “cuptails.”

What, this doesn't make you crave sushi?

Bar-Cöde
If the Düsseldorf Airport bar had a Facebook page...

Bond 45 
Sick of others stealing its raw veal from the fridge, Bond 45 started labeling.

Cafe Bonaparte/Napoleon Bistro
The eerie music and disembodied head following our mouse make us wonder whether these places are French bistros or French haunted houses.

Eggspectation
The sung tale of a yak-child who opened an egg-themed version of Friday's. 

Hello, Cupcake (book Web site)
Hello, sensory overload!