Eat Great Cheap 2016A drab Days Inn in Northeast DC is an unlikely destination for crave-inducing Chinese, but that’s part of the allure of this Szechuan/Shaanxi eatery. No-frills is an understatement—the banquet-like room is harshly lit, and service can be indifferent. Dishes, by contrast, are full of fireworks (though heat seekers should be vocal about their mission, as items are often toned down for American palates). Custardy cubes of mapotofu and minced beef smolder in chili oil, cumin lamb sizzles with fresh and dried peppers, and ethereal hand-pulled Shaanxi noodles draw fiery flavor from a crown of spices. Not all dishes are mouth-searing—try a Shaanxi sandwich, braised pork stuffed into warm, pita-like bread, when the sweat starts beading.
Cuisine: Chinese
Where you can get it: 2700 New York Ave., NE; 202-534-1620
Also good: Wontons in chili oil; dan-dannoodles; double-cooked pork; cumin-beef burger; Szechuan-style Kung Pao chicken.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
