Cheap Eats 2010: China Jade

100 great places that offer great food at low prices.

Why go: In northern Rockville, the Washington area’s new center of Chinese cooking, this revamped kitchen—operated by the folks who run Falls Church’s Szechuan-themed Hong Kong Palace—sends out dishes as exciting and incendiary as the white-walled dining room isn’t.

What to get: Delicate stuffed wontons in red chili oil; garlicky pickled cucumbers; Kung Pao chicken, Chinese style; cumin-flavored, lightly fried fish tossed with scallions and white onion; steamed chicken with ginger-scallion sauce.

Best for: Dining in groups, the better to roam across all categories of the menu.

Insider tip: Ask your waitress to have the kitchen put together a meal for you. There are risks if you’re not accustomed to organ meats and other exotica, but the rewards are great.

>> See all 2010 Cheap Eats restaurants here