Rabieng Thai Restaurant - Falls Church, VA

5892 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, A 22041
(703) 671-4222

After the first few bites of almost any dish at Rabieng, all the other Thai restaurants seem to kinda blend into a grey background.  The variety and quality of flavors at Rabieng's, combined with its unpretentious calming atmosphere, are tough to beat.  In this post, we are not going to go into extensive comparisons of Rabieng with its parent restaurant Duangrats, which incidentally we found to be inferior to Rabieng, or its well-deserved raves and ratings in the Washingtonian, Zagats, and USA Today, which you can find on its webiste.  To remind our readers, our blog is mainly about our particular dining experience(s) in the restaurant, and all dining experiences at Rabieng for us have been consistently great.

Rabieng is a small unassuming 2-story restaurant that is easy to miss around the corner of a strip mall in Bailey's Crossroads, an area rich with top-notch ethnic dives in Falls Church.  There are only about 7 or 8 booths and 2-3 tables downstairs, all decorated with a fresh orchid stem, where patrons are seated first before the hosts offer upstairs seating.

The Fried Calamari and Plantain Tempura appetizers were terrific. Fried Calamari is served in a bowl on top of lettuce.  When the calamari is gone, the lettuce turns into a salad with the remainder of the sauce as a dressing.  The sauce is somewhat on the sweeter side, but is sweet and sour and definitely has a kick! Plaintain Tempura is basically fried bananas (or plantains), a dish that by its nature is on the sweeter side with a crispy outer layer and a soft delicious middle.  Roasted cashews are a wonderful side to any of Rabieng's dishes, and are prepared in a subtle and simple way.  A bit of a disappointment was the Beef Nam Tok salad, where the meat was quite limp and flavorless, even when covered by herbs and sauces.  This is probably the only dish we wouldn't order again, and actually prefer the way it is prepared at Tara Thai in Tysons, where the meat is a bit firmer and more savory.

All entrees at Rabieng are delicious. We have tried many of them over the few times we have visited on our own and with friends. On this particular afternoon, we tried the Chef's Signature Specials. The Chicken Horapa comes sauteed in a gentle roasted chili sauce served on a bed of noodles.  If you prefer your noodles al dente, you might want to tell them in advance. The Bhram, which is chicken breast pieces sauteed in a peanut sauce, comes out stew-like on a bed of napa cabbage, rendering the cabbage slightly wilted, yet crispy enough to give the dish a pleasant texture.  Both entrees are very well-prepared and well-seasoned, although those with a penchant for more heat can add the delectable fish sauce that they serve upon request.

Our server Nit was efficient, pleasant, knowledgeable and attentive. So was the rest of the small team of servers. Can't ask for better.

We will definitely be back to Rabieng!

Btw, if you decide to be a little adventurous in your own kitchen and want to replicate some of the dishes you tasted at Rabieng, a small aian Asian Grocery Store next door, incidentally also owned by Duangrats, offers all the spices that can make this possible.

 First floor

 Modern and clean

 Second floor

 Stairs leading to second floor

 Fried calamari appetizer

 Beef Nam Tok salad and Plantain Tempura

 Roasted cashews appetizer

 Chef's Signature Specials: Chicken Horapa (top) and Bhram with chicken (bottom)

Tara Thai Restaurant - Vienna, VA - CLOSED - REPLACED BY TOM YUM THAI

CLOSED - REPLACED BY TOM YUM THAI

226 Maple Ave.

West Vienna, VA 22180 

Tel. 703-255-2467

Since Tara Thai in Falls Church is one of our favorite spots for a reliably good Thai meal, we thought we'd try another Tara Thai that is located in Vienna.  In the past, we tried Tara Thai in Arlington before it closed.  Bottom line for us is that decidedly Tara Thai in Falls Church is heads above its namesakes.

Though most of the dishes offered on the menu are standard and familiar Thai choices, the Chef's specials understandably differ from restaurant to restaurant, as does the preparation itself. One of the particularly noticeable issues we found with Tara Thai Vienna is the inconsistency of the spicyness level between the menu and the actual dish.  We ordered dishes with asterisks that turned out mild and dishes with no asterisks that turned out hot.  We suggest that regardless of what it says on the menu, you indicate directly to the waiter the level of hotness you prefer, otherwise you will be surprised when the food arrives, at least in our experience.

We ordered two appetizers - Salt & Pepper Calamari, which was lightly battered and fried, and the Num Tok, a beef dish.  The Num Tok was a bit of a disappointment not only because the two asterisks next to it on the menu did not reflect the actual rather mild seasoning of the dish, but also because the flank steak was just overall not nearly as tasty or juicy as it is in Tara Thai Falls Church.  Would not order it there again. Our entrees were a combination of one standard Thai dish - Pad Thai, which was fine, and one of the Chef's Specials.  We ordered the Tara Thai Vienna's Chef's Special the Crispy Golden Chicken, which was good, but, despite there being no asterisks next to it on the menu, it was on the hot side.

Service was not nearly as friendly or attentive compared with Tara Thai Falls Church.  While Tara Thai Vienna is perfectly fine, if we had to choose, we would select Tara Thai Falls Church hands down.

Cassat's Kiwi Cafe - a taste of New Zealand - Arlington, VA

4536 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA 22207
(703) 527-3330

If you put pico de gallo on a waffle, does it become Spanish? If you put wasabi paste on a grilled cheese sandwich does it become Japanese? If you serve burgers with curry, does it become an Indian burger? In all three cases, perhaps (but definitely not with the Indian burger); however, what these illustrations do prove is when cuisines can adapt it can work. When there is very little food that is “indigenous” to a particular country or region, you wind up with a menu that is disjointed and confused. Case in point – Cassat’s Kiwi Café. What cuisine indigenous to New Zealand? Lamb? Kiwis? No. This is a classic example of why there are no Canadian, Hawaiian, or even Sri Lankan-themed restaurants in the DC area or anywhere to be found outside those particular countries. New Zealand and Cassat’s fits this example.

We were simply confused. We found out that the place was owned by a Philadelphian who took some trips to New Zealand and converted a Philadelphia-themed storefront to a Kiwi café. Walking in the place seems more like a café/bistro than anything else. A small bar which holds a half dozen is halfway down the place surrounded by 15 dining tables. The restaurant is narrow and popular among the locals (especially on the weekends when they remove a few tables and have a house band play mostly folk and lighter music). The wait staff were friendly and the manager was engaging and talkative (perhaps a bit too less of the former and too much of the latter).

On to the food that we did not find to be particularly good. Here’s the rundown:

Calamari for appetizer. While we thought the appetizer we shared was void of the typical breading and deep fry was unique, the spicy sauce and bean cake lacked taste. 

Entrees. We both ordered meat pies but in retrospect, we’d probably order something else if we knew ahead of time. We ordered different types of pies—Elena ordered the chicken curry, Bill ordered the chicken, spinach, and cheese. Both served with a side salad and homemade tomato chutney sauce. The salad was typical and the chutney sauces perhaps a bit too sweet. The Chicken Curry pie was too sweet and dry, the Chicken Spinach was ok, but nothing special. Interestingly, depending on the pie, it’s either homemade or shipped in from the owner’s other establishment (can’t remember which ones are made on site).

Perhaps Cassat’s needs to rethink the whole Kiwi thing and go back to cheesesteaks.

I-Thai Restaurant, Vienna, VA

8607 Westwood Center Dr.

Vienna, VA 22182

(703) 975-8785

What a pleasant surprise!  Although not everything was set up in this brand new restaurant when we ate there in the first week of February 2012, there was plenty to enjoy here.  Tucked away in a Tyson’s Corner (technically Vienna) corporate office building (if you ever wanted to know where Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus official corporate headquarters was located, it’s next to this restaurant!) this place serves up some very tasty Thai food.  The dining area is divided into two rooms with simple decorations and plain furniture that are clean and attractive. 

We went with our friends and we all agreed that despite the restaurant still ironing out the service routines and the bar set-up, the food was delicious.  Our appetizers included Tom Yum vegetable and tofu soup, Vegetable and Soft Tofu soup, Calamari, and Blanket Shrimp.  All were well-prepared and tasty.  Our entrees were Crying Tiger (a delicious beef dish that we felt was one of the most delicious beef dishes we ever had) that came with delicious sticky rice in a very unique container, Mango Curry with tofu (they had no problems at all substituting the green beans with any other vegetable, we selected broccoli), Cashew Nut Tofu and Pad Se Eew with Seafood.   All dishes were wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed them.  For dessert, we all had the traditional Mango and Sticky Rice, which was good, but nothing particularly noteworthy differentiated it from other Thai restaurants.

Their house Merlot and Chardonnay wines added a nice bonus to our meals.  The meal cost us about $50 per couple with a glass of wine, but not including tip. We came here because we got a Specialicious coupon, which is a great way to explore new restaurants.

Overall, we would definitely return to i-Thai. 

Tara Thai Restaurant - Falls Church VA

7501-E Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
tel : 703.506.9788
E-mail : tarathaifallschurch@gmail.com

Tara Thai in Falls Church has been a regular stop for us for quite some time.  Its nautical décor is very appealing, its staff is very attentive (even on busy nights) and its food is generally well prepared with ample portions (although we’ve noticed over time the size of the entrees may have been reduced by about 10 – 20%).  

Thai delicacies and mainstays on the menu include diverse appetizers such as Num Tok and meat-on-a-stick satays.  Seafood soups are tasty and packed with as much flavor as the assorted seafood that accompanies each bite.  We like both the Typhoon Soup, a wonderful mix of shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels, and mushrooms in a spicy broth with a touch of lemon grass and basil leaves, and the Tom Klong Goong  soup filled with black tiger shrimp, fresh shitake mushrooms , and grilled onions in a lemon grass-galanga broth, seasoned with tamarind juice and roasted chili.  For entrees, the traditional Pad Thai and for meat lovers, the Siamese Beef (Slices of beef marinated in sesame oil and exotic spices) are our favorites. Other accouterments including frothy ice-tea and mango with sticky rice for dessert round out the dining experience.  Accompanying sauces varying in degrees of heat should be requested (they are not automatically placed at the table). 

All-in-all, Tara Thai never disappoints.  Having never been to Thailand, we cannot compare with the authentic, but for Thai food south of the Mason-Dixon line, Tara Thai fills the void.