I've been pleasantly surprised by Thai Deelish in Ashburn, Va., ever since it opened. They'll put some heat in the food if you ask (and sometimes if you don't), their curries have a fascinating assortment of distinct, complex flavors, and I enjoy their weird, somewhat untraditional noodle dishes. Also, their lunch special is an amazing bargain.

But they've recently (I think) added a 'Traditional Thai Food' section to their menu -- http://www.thaideelish.com/traditiona... -- and I have to admit that I have no idea how to approach it. I have no experience whatsoever with traditional Thai food, don't know what to expect, and don't really know where to start. (It's also part of the bargain lunch special, which makes it a bigger gamble.

The staff there is nice and has been helpful in the past, but there are also the usual language barriers that sometimes make ordering unusual things tricky, so I figured I'd see if anyone here could help.

There's a curry with seven peppers next to it; nothing on the "normal" menu goes past three peppers. Will I survive eating that? Which of the noodle soups would I be best served trying? What, exactly, is "salted raw crab"?

Any advice or suggestions -- from folks familiar with this restaurant in particular or just these dishes in general -- would be hugely welcome. Thanks!

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Thai Deelish
43330 Junction Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20147

I've always enjoyed Kirby's Pub up at 94th. Just a local bar, but great steamed shrimp and reasonably priced bottles of beer, along with a lively crowd. Everything you want a bar to be, if not particularly beachy.

Let's get this out of the way first: the place is on top of a senior home. When you go in, you will be struck by the bleak institutional feel of the place -- and, in fact, you have to sign in at the receptionist to go up. The elevator will not make you feel any better, as it is also slightly unsettling. But when you get up to the rooftop level, things change dramatically.

The space is absolutely lovely, floor-to-ceiling windows and a nicely painted, decently appointed room. The view looks south, toward the downtown skyline, and east, toward Hopkins, and the view alone is worth a lunctime visit.

Based on a small lunch, the food is perfectly good. A shrimp salad sandwich special was made with properly cooked jumbo shrimp on nicely toasted potato bread -- a little heavy on the Old Bay, but good enough that I'd order it again. Cream of crab soup had no large lumps, but had bits of crab throughout, and a nice crab flavor (if a little salty). My wife had a turkey club -- fresh tasting turkey breast, crispy bacon, that same toasted potato bread, fresh-looking lettuce ... a perfectly solid turkey club. Reasonable prices, nice space, solid food, great view ... a good lunch option if you're in Hampden. (Breakfast as well.)

Dinner leans toward homestyle favorites as well -- meatloaf, turkey and gravy, etc. -- and then, on the Dinner Specialties page, veers wildly into much more elaborate territory, with teriyaki duck breast, lobster ravioli, and a whole host of other interesting-sounding things. I have no clue if they'd be any good or not (how often can that kitchen POSSIBLY turn over duck breast?), but if we get a clear night with nothing to do and want to grab a bite in the neighborhood, I'd certainly give it a shot.

I'm a big fan of Jumbo Seafood, which is right there on Sudbrook, sort of a few hypothetical blocks behind Gourmet Again. Perfectly good chinese-american food -- nothing to set off the Chowhound alarms, but the best of that genre in the area. I love their wontons in hot oil.

What makes Thai Arroy so much better? I've only been once, but I was underwhelmed by a bland curry and unremarkable tastes of my tablemates' food. What should I order if I go back?

They may not have the other frostings, but the other cookies at the Berger stall are terrific.

Yeah, as crackers notes above, there are a bunch of perfectly decent kosher restaurants in the area, including Accents, Kosher Bite, Tov Pizza, David Chu's, and Amanda's. All of these are under supervision of the local rabbinate and have large orthodox clientèles, and all of them are readily accessible from 695.

They sell it by the glass bottle at the coffee shop at the Towson library. Terrific housemade desserts as well.

Yeah, this sounds terrific. Can't wait to try it based on the menu on their website: http://gracegardenchinese.com/index.html

Oh, I forgot about Mad River. That would be my recommendation -- for combo of number of TVs, quality of (bar food, quality of booze, and pleasantness of place to spend three-ish hours, it's far and away my favorite in town. Good rec.

If Kolper's is still open, that's probably the closest possibility.

In Columbia, I prefer Sushi Sono -- owned by the same people as Sushi King -- but it's pretty much a toss-up on the board, near as I can tell.

I've never been myself, but a trustworthy sushi-loving friend swears by Fuji, out 40 in Ellicott City.

I live barely three blocks from Grill Art, but my one experience there -- about a year ago -- was so atrocious that I don't go back.

The service was incompetent (at the most basic level -- server couldn't find a pen, server didn't know answers to food questions, server didn't show up forever). Half the food arrived overcooked, the food that was cooked as ordered was bland, and the pizza was raw in the middle. The manager was unhelpful in the extreme. And it was all overpriced. Just a genuinely horrible restaurant experience.

Let me hasten to warn you that in terms of ambiance, decor, and level of cuisine, Mike's Place is several notches below the two you mentioned. It's essentially a lunch counter or diner, the waitresses are authentic Hampdenites, and the menu doesn't go much beyond various combinations of eggs, meats, and starches. But if you want those things -- the sausage I mentioned, or scrapple that was crispy and terrific the last time I was there -- it's great. (And cheap. Really, really cheap.)

Yeah, I prefer Mike's Place for a cheap weekend breakfast in the neighborhood. I have no idea what's in their sausage, but it's terrific -- just a huge, freeform "pattie" of ground sausage meat.

We're in Hampden, so our geography is established accordingly. Like everyone else, if we're too tired to cook, we're too tired to drive.

Sushi from the Mt. Washington Sushi Hana - sashimi appitizer for eight bucks is enough for light dinner for me, along with miso soup or a small roll; Wife consistently gets the David Roll.

Rocket To Venus - shrimp salad sandwich for me; brussels sprouts and a grilled cheese for Wife.

Woodberry Kitchen - Burgers for both of us. Twelve bucks each for a burger and fries is steeper than we can do frequently, but we both really like their burger, so we've eliminated all cheaper restaurant burgers and save it until we're REALLY craving one. (We've talked about splitting the burger with fries and some other side, but it never happens.)

Golden West Cafe - Turkey, chutney, and brie sandwich with a side of peanut noodles or a salad for nine bucks can't be beat.

Ryleigh's Oyster - The only happy hour we really go to anymore. A dozen top-notch oysters and two beers for under twenty bucks before tip. (And then another dozen, and another, and so much for budgeting.....)

Other than that, it would be takeout Chinese that isn't worth noting or burritos from Chipotle, to which I have become depressingly addicted.

Oh, right. Completely slipped my mind. Thanks!

So it's coming up on Monday afternoon and I realized that I have no vegetables for dinner tonight. To the best of my knowledge, there's no market open anywhere near the city right now, so where is the best place to go and get fresh local produce? (Starting from the center of the city and moving outward, I guess.)

Thanks...!

I'm the other guy buying the kaffir lime leaves, so you don't need to feel completely alone. :)

Jules Restaurant is pretty high up, at 118th Street, and is without question my favorite restaurant in Ocean City. I have never had a bad meal there, and have had at least two that were exceptional.

Although they are somewhat fine dining, I've been there in jeans and I've been seated next to kids, so they must be pretty flexible. The space isn't huge, but if you called in advance, I'm sure they'd be willing to work with you for a party of 20. Really, really good food.

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Jules Restaurant
11805 Coastal Hwy Ste N, Ocean City, MD 21842

Oy. That's dangerously close, no pun intended. Have you heard any target opening dates or anything?

Almost certainly -- I hope I didn't sound dismissive or anything. I suspect that there are probably a few different sorts of things that get labeled similarly on Americanized menus even though they're completely different dishes.

Also live there, also haven't heard anything.

Could go in at Mill Valley, maybe? This would be REALLY exciting news, if true.

More often they're closer to this -- http://farm1.static.flickr.com/249/52... -- but your description of the sauce sounds about right to me. Wonton in hot oil is a translation some places use, but even in those places it's not actually how they're served.

These show up as an appetizer on Chinese restaurant menus as "spicy tangy wontons," or "wontons in hot oil," or "szechuan wontons," or (occasionally) as "long chao shou," and they are pretty much exactly what they say: wontons, usually pork, served in a thin hot sauce with lots of red peppers.

I have no idea what is traditional with them and what isn't, I just know that it's a favorite appetizer of mine and I'm having trouble finding it in Baltimore. Has anyone noticed it at their neighborhood Chinese takeout? (I don't need an authentic version, or even a restaurant where the rest of the food is good -- all I'm looking for is to sample area renditions of this.)

What I've found so far:

Jumbo Seafood in Pikesville - "Wontons in hot oil"
Stuffed with shrimp, which is unusual, and served over cabbage, these are terrific, hot and sweet and vinegary in roughly equal measure. But they're triangular, not the usual tight bundle, and the wrapper is slightly thicker than in the versions I'm used to. A great dish on its own merits, but it doesn't scratch this particular itch for me.

Jesse Wong's Hong Kong in Columbia
These are pretty much what I'm looking for (and what I consider to be traditional), but Columbia's a bit of a haul for a weekday night. Hoping to find something a bit closer to the city.

David Chu's China Bistro in Pikesville
Not pork, obviously (as the restaurant is kosher), these were neither spicy nor tangy. The sauce, like most at David Chu's, is tailored for the blandest of palettes, very sweet and heavily thickened with cornstarch. Not what I had in mind.

Kosher Bite in Pikesville
Also not pork, and also not particularly good. The filling -- chicken, I'm guessing -- is dry, and the sauce lacks punch. Still preferable to David Chu's, though, if you need kosher wontons.

No. 1 Chinese Restaurant in Hampden
Not really sure WHAT these are. They seem to be soup wontons (with an overly thick skin) in some sort of a peanut sauce, maybe? Not really to my tastes, which is a pity because they're the closest thing to my home.

Anyone know of any others?

I've had bad experiences at Salt -- nothing dramatic, but occasional frustrating lapses -- and none at Jack's. They're close in a lot of ways, but I think my personal preference is for Jack's.

When I was there two weeks back, they were up to 14 different types, including three west coast. I need to start writing down the names and noting what I like, because some of the varieties have been literally sublime.

(Also, I think the happy hour Monday runs all night from 5 on, not 3, and Tuesday is from 3 throughout the evening.)

I'm Richard on this one -- I only remember whipped Temptee at Passover also. I'm going to be very upset if I've been missing out on decent KfP cream cheese all these years.

Not a guaranteed solution by any stretch, but if you're anywhere near a Home Goods (and since you mention Columbia Mall, I'm guessing you are) they sometimes get in good to very good knives at reasonable prices. Their stock is completely unpredictable, though, so you just have to sort of keep checking back. I got a Calphalon Katana 6" chef's knife there for under 30 bucks, and I love it dearly. The deals aren't consistent, but there are gems to be found.

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Home Goods
9051 Snowden River Pkwy, Columbia, MD