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Dining out and about: Joe’s Noodle House
By Ann | February 4, 2008
The search for good Chinese food in Washington, DC has been rocky. Hong Kong Palace in Falls Church, VA? Eh. Full Kee in Chinatown? Passable chow fun.
But now, thanks to our ayi, we here at Cooking the Books are relieved to finally discover real, live Sichuan food at Joe’s Noodle House in Rockville, MD.
Joe’s is tucked into a strip mall, not totally visible from Rockville Pike. At noon on a Sunday, it wasn’t as crowded as I would have suspected — we waited briefly for a small table, but there were plenty of large tables open. There’s an unusual ordering system — order and pay at the counter — perhaps they’ve had too many diners and ditchers? We ordered the following:
Dan dan mian – A very generous portion of noodles, definitely big enough for two, despite what the order-taker said. The sauce was a perfect blend of chili and hua jiao, heady with garlic.
Cong you bing – Excellent onion pancake. Crisp exterior, tender, doughy and flaky interior, the whole suffused with a fresh spring onion flavor.
Hong you chao shou – Wontons in red oil are one of my favorite Chengdu memories. Unfortunately, these could not even remotely compare. The red oil was too one-dimensional, and the whole dish lacked the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and toasty that we had in Chengdu. Disappointing.
Mapo doufu — Very good and very oily (tres authentic). The best mapo doufu I’ve had in Washington, DC to date. Highly reminiscent of the version at the Sichuan Provincial government restaurant in Beijing. Excellent, restrained use of hua jiao, good mix of tingly and spicy.
Bitter melon with black bean sauce – Am I the only person in the world who likes bitter melon? Very good dish, strongly bitter, good black bean sauce. Perhaps a bit too salty.
Joe’s Noodle House
1488 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD
(301) 881 5518
Topics: Dining Out and About |
One Response to “Dining out and about: Joe’s Noodle House”
Comments
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February 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Cooking the Books and I are going to have to agree to disagree on the hong you chao shou. While it’s true that they did not compare to what’s on offer in Chengdu, I still found the skin light and the filling balanced and flavorful. Easily the best dumplings of any kind I’ve had in DC since CtB and I repatriated. Then again, as I love all things dumpling, I’m not a reliable source of good judgment on the subject! Bottom line message: Eat at Joe’s!