Return to Uncle Liu's Hot Pot in Falls Church

Finally had a chance to introduce my boyfriend to Sichuan hot pot at Uncle Liu's (2972 Gallows Road Falls Church, VA 22042).  We met up with another couple who were trying hotpot for the first time, plus two other friends who went with me on the first UL's adventure.  Hot pot works best with a group of 4-6 people so you can order a nice variety of ingredients.  We ended up sitting at the same round table as last time. This time we tried the spicy broth with a whole fish (tilapia) included ($20). 

 Hot pot broth warming on the tabletop burner.  The spicy broth was oily, and I missed the milder, creamy chicken broth from the half-and-half broth option.

 In addition to the tilapia already in the broth, we ordered spicy beef, chicken, spinach, sliced lamb and mushrooms.

 We also chose meat dumplings, bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage and chrysanthemum leaves.

Bubbling cauldron of spicy broth. 

After the ingredients were cooked, we dipped them in our bowls of sauce.  AA saw a food blog recommended mixture of sha-cha sauce with hot chili oil, cilantro, garlic, soy and vinegar.  I made a different version of cilantro, soy, chili oil, sesame oil, and scallions.  With a couple of TsingTao beers, rice, dipping sauce surcharge ($1/bowl) and two wonton soups, it was $21 per person including tax and tip for all six of us. 

Saturday Brunch at Mark's Duck House

With the unexpected shutoff of the water supply, we debated where to venture for brunch.  Tossing out a few options, we settled on dim sum at Mark's Duck House.  There are probably better dim sum venues in Silver Spring, but MDH is closer.  One day we'll give Fortune and Hong Kong Palace a shot, when we're feeling adventurous. 

Panfried Chive Dumpling

Har Gao

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

Crispy Pork

Steamed Spare Rib - gelatinous and unctuous

Gai Lan - Chinese Broccoli with oyster sauce

Usually we're pretty satisfied with dim sum at Mark's, although we noticed the selection was not as expansive as usual by 11:30 am.  Some of my favorite items were not in steady rotation, unless they were already nicked from the carts before they reached us.

Chinese-Bowling with Friends

I like planning themed group events.  Last year Chinese New Year and Valentine's day were the same day, so I gathered some friends and spent a Sunday packed with activities including brunch, bowling and dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  It was so much fun, I wanted to do it again despite the holidays not aligning. 

This year's theme was "the more, the merrier", and we gathered a group of 14 people together for Chinese-Bowling with lunch at Peking Gourmet Inn and bowling at Bowl America in Falls Church.  PGI is a nice place for groups with large round tables and an excellent and affordable group menu for lunch.  Due to some food allergies and diets, we had two tables, one for the group menu and one for ordering ala carte.  The lunch group menu is a bargain with Spring Rolls & Fried Dumplings, Peking Duck, Jeo-Yan Shrimp, Beef Szechuan Proper, Four Season String Beans, Yang Chow Fried Rice, Jasmine Tea & Fortune Cookies for a minimum of 8 people at $15.50 pp (about $20 pp with tax and tip). 

The other table ordered a melange of dishes and everyone seemed to enjoy their choices.  They have a special ala carte lunch menu for $8.95 including a soup, egg roll, fried rice and choice of entree.

 Hot and Sour Soup (this had duck meat as well as the mushrooms)

 Steamed vegetarian dumplings 

 Peking-style Chicken

 Shrimp in Lobster Sauce ala carte meal

Mu Shu Vegetables

***

It was definitely fun to share food, some gross decomposing animal-related stories, and cheer for each other at bowling.  To mix up the day a bit, we drew names to create the teams for each lane, and I hope everyone had a chance to talk to someone new and share in the spirit of the day.

Dim Sum brunch = big nap later

Organized a dim sum gathering for a grad school friend's birthday at Mark's Duck House. Our table looked like the Model UN and included two dim sum novices who preferred vegetarian items.  One might have caved and tried a shrimp dish or two.  I had heard that bacon was the gateway to meat for vegetarians, but maybe it's shrimp dumplings at dim sum.   Dim sum is a great group dining option that becomes more economical the more people you can gather together.  There's also something fun about sharing bites and good conversation between sips of hot tea. Learned the merits of dandelion tea today too as a foil for the grease. 

We had gai lan, baby roast pork, stuffed crab claws, baby clams in black bean sauce, chive and shrimp dumplings, har gao, vegetable dumplings, chicken feet, vegetable noodles, turnip cake, spring rolls, shumai, shrimp in crepe noodle, sesame balls, mini egg custard tarts and a few others. 

I had everyone meet for the first seating at 10 am.  In hindsight, we could have met a bit later, but it was definitely nice to not have to wait for a hour for a table.  Love watching the carts passing by too.  There's a sense of anticipation and wondering what the next cart will hold.  The only downside about dim sum at Mark's is their lack of congee.   The birthday boy shared a bit of wisdom too...Why do people balk at eating chicken feet but eat pork butt without a second thought?

Mark's Duck House

Mark's Duck House in Falls Church is a very popular weekend destination for dim sum with their rolling carts of nibbles.  They also have an  extensive menu of over 400 dishes.  It's Hong Kong-style with a growing Vietnamese clientele.  Specials and the menu are written in Chinese, Vietnamese and English and the restaurant  has been around over 25 years.  With a large number of round tables, it's good for groups and families.  http://www.marksduckhouse.com/mainmenu.htm

Salt-baked prawns with chili, head and shell ($15.95)

A bit cumbersome to eat, it was one of the recommended dishes from reviews I read.

Diced chicken with cashew nuts ($10.95)

Sliced chicken with asparagus ($11.50).  The asparagus were delicious.

Half Duck ($16.95) with scallions and pancakes. 

It's not sliced tableside like at Peking Gourmet Inn, but with a name including "duck" you have to try it.

Seafood Lo Mein ($13.95)

Peking Gourmet Inn

Eddie Tsui and his wife started Peking Gourmet Inn in 1978. It's located in the nondescript Culmore shopping center in Falls Church and serves mostly northern Chinese food, including its politically-incorrect moniker, Peking duck. http://www.pekinggourmet.com/about.html

The Tsui family continues to run the 275-seat establishment and sources many of its vegetables from Robert Tsui's farm, Grass Root Farm, in Purcellville, VA. The restaurant does excel at cooking a crispy duck which is carved table-side. Some of the menu items are hit-or-miss, but I do love their pan-fried dumplings and the pan-fried seafood noodles.

silky egg-drop soup
mmmm
fiery chilies dressed in soy sauce
pan-fried Chinese leek dumplings

Peking duck, cucumber, scallions and hoisin sauce wraps. At $38 per duck, it's not exactly inexpensive, but the ducks are expertly carved tableside by experienced waiters. At a rough glance, I'd estimate the restaurant serves 500 ducks a day.

Massive platter of pan-fried noodles with seafood ($26). Snow crab, scallops, jumbo shrimp, bok choy, mushrooms, snap peas and toothsome noodles that taste handmade. This dish was large enough for two meals for us.

***

We normally over-order. This time we used a little more restraint than previous visits. We still left with a heavy bag of leftovers. Perhaps we venture to PGI at off-peak times, but we haven't had to wait extremely long for a table. The decor is definitely dated, and it can be a bit unsettling to dine surrounded by faces staring at you from framed and signed photos on the walls. While a particular favorite spot for the Bush family, that fact should neither encourage nor discourage a visit. If you venture there at peak dining hours, expect a long wait in a cramped entrance way.