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| General Tso’s Chicken |
Larry La's second Meiwah Restaurant (on Willard Avenue, near the Friendship Heights Metro station) may not have the same star-studded customer base as its more famous, older sibling; but it has the same food, tucked inside a more casual, intimate atmosphere. Service was first-rate (Qi was an angel) and I'm still fawning over the best cup of Hot & Sour Soup in town (for just $2.95 with fried wontons.) Nearby P.F. Chang's may have the fancier marquee; but I'd much rather pay less money for better food at Meiwah.
The original Meiwah at the corner of M Street and New Hampshire Avenue, NW remains a must-visit; but it's a heck of a lot easier to find a table at Friendship Heights. To be fair, Meiwah II looks relatively bland in comparison, dressed mostly in white with a splash of earth tones. Then again, who cares, with food this good and affordable. The aforementioned Qi offered us a warm welcome (and two glasses of water) and took an order for Spring Rolls ($3.95) and a cup of Hot & Sour Soup for yours truly. Within a couple of minutes, our apps arrived piping hot (and delicious.) Good luck finding faster, more efficient service around this area.
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| Spring Rolls |
Spring rolls were stuffed with filling, expertly wrapped inside a lightly-battered & flaky exterior. A vegetarian option is also available. As for the soup, I doubt you'll find any better in all of DC. I'd literally come back for the soup alone: Did I mention it comes with a generous supply of perfectly fried wontons? For $2.95? Game, set, match = Hot & Sour Soup.
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| Hot & Sour Soup |
Entrees are HUGE, and can easily feed two. We continued along a "fried path," and ordered General Tso's Chicken (me) and Sweet & Sour Chicken (each only $9.95 with rice.) Both dishes were scrumptious; but I have to single out the General's Chicken, which was incredibly light yet rich in flavor. Perhaps even more impressive? It was miles away from "salty." The Sweet & Sour Chicken was a bit more predictable (heavier batter, thicker sauce) yet almost as tasty. Bonus points for perfectly cooked rice. As for Meiwah's generous portion sizes? All I can say is, "Xie xie."
Service was consistently awesome: Qi even noticed a spill (not me) and offered/delivered club soda to help get it out. Water refills were frequent and immediate; and everyone on staff was incredibly professional. Considering how relatively inexpensive it is; I can see myself coming back multiple times.
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| Sweet & Sour Chicken |
Speaking of... Meiwah sports seven soup options, including a Velvet Crabmeat Asparagus Soup for just $4.95; in addition to a slew of choices for hot apps (BBQ Spare Ribs, $6.95) cold (Eggplant with Crushed Garlic, $4.95) and enough entrees to keep me busy for at least a couple of weeks! Discovering new restaurants is fun. Finding new restaurants as good as Meiwah? That's downright wonderful.
