How to Choose a Restaurant

How to Choose a Restaurant

Restaurants liberate you from the task of preparing your own food, but it is better to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home than bad food at a restaurant. Nothing makes you sicker than paying good money for bad food.
These are the most important criteria:

The restaurant must be clean
The restaurant must smell good
There must be plenty of customers

If the restaurant does not look clean, the kitchen is probably worse. Skip it. If you cannot smell the food cooking, they are going to serve you leftovers or something that is not fresh. Skip it. If there are no people sitting at the tables, the food is probably bad, the service is terrible, the restaurant is expensive, or there is some reason why the local residents avoid it. You should too.

Other factors in choosing a restaurant:

Price range - Good food should not break the bank. You should enjoy the food without having to regret the expense.
Variety - If you go with other people, the menu should offer a variety of dishes to satisfy the taste of all the guests.
Parking - Before you can eat, you have to get there. Make sure that there is parking space for your car close by.
Reservations - Don't forget to make reservations if they are required. Call ahead to find out.
Special requests - Is the restaurant staff responsive to special requests? Find out if you can order low-salt dishes, no MSG, vegetarian, etc. This is important if you or one of your party has allergies or special dietary needs.

Meatball Pho - Vietnamese Noodle Soup

Good Values
Vietnamese food gained popularity in the 1970s, as refugees from Vietnam came to America and opened restaurants featuring their native foods. One of the most popular Vietnamese dishes is Pho noodle soup because it is inexpensive and satisfying.

Pho stock is made by simmering beef bones in a stockpot for 6 to 12 hours. The broth is skimmed frequently to remove foam and fat. The stock may include browned onion and ginger, carrots, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, garlic and peppercorns. The stock is strained, and the bones are discarded.

The soup is served steaming hot over rice noodles which have been soaked in hot water for 30 minutes. Thin slices of beef, chicken, or quartered meat balls are frequently used as toppings in combination with thin slices of onion. At the table, pho is served with a side dish of bean sprouts, fresh basil or cilantro leaves, jalapeño slices, and a wedge of lime. Three typical condiments are: hot chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and fish sauce (nuoc mam).

Some good Pho restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area:

Pho 95, 785 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
Viet Huong, Eden Center, Falls Church, VA