Satsuma is pretty decent and is $1 a piece right now during happy hour.

If you're willing to venture out to the Virginia Square area of Arlington, you should try the pollo a la brasa at El Pollo Rico. I recommend it to all my college friends.

I think all of that is probably true. That said, I've never had a bad time with Korean barbecue and Honey Pig isn't an exception. I got the check mid-meal, which seems to be very common. But I also was able to order a lot of alcohol cheaply, so it balanced out. So, I guess there are better ones, but it satisfied me.

OK, that sounds very promising. I'll have to give it another chance. Ray's was one of the few places you could convince DC people of the value of actually going out to the suburbs. (Though the ethnic food out here tends to be better anyway).

How does the atmosphere compare to the original Ray's?

I went to Ray's to the Third back when Ray's closed and it wasn't quite the same. There's something to be said for being able to order burgers from the counter and eating it with a roll of paper towels.

I'm a fan of Rocklands (Virginia). It offers some pretty good value and it has both pork and beef. I'm not sure what's in the potato salad, but I swear it's magical.

Just for the clarification, in case people know who this is, the guy at Good Stuff Eatery is Spike Mendelsohn, who was on at least one season of Top Chef (Bravo) as well as last year's Next Iron Chef (Food Network).

Sorry to hear about that broth. That's definitely my favorite part.

The pictures on Sakuramen's website look so good that I had high hopes. The chashu in particular looks better than what one would normally get. Hopefully the chicken-based ramen is pretty tasty.

I definitely agree with Jbeales (I'd recommend it, if I knew how). I especially recommend Filter. It's a bit on the small side, but the weather is warming up and there is some outdoor seating as well.

Dolcezza has good espresso, but it's a bit more known for gelato. However, if you want that, then definitely go.

Thanks for the review. I've been meaning to go Ramen hunting in DC and find the best (I've only had Temari so far).

I'm a fan of the chili oil. When I get Tonkotsu Ramen, I like it with a decent amount of chili oil and garlic. Is the broth rich or on the thin side? Tonkotsu Ramen should be rich and almost overwhelming.

Btw, this is a nitpick, but it's Tonkotsu (with two O's), not Tonkatsu. The former refers to pork bone, while the latter is a breaded pork cutlet. It's a common mistake--I just feel the unhealthy urge to correct it.

They didn't have counter service when I was last there and the experience was definitely not the same, but perhaps they hadn't quite set it up yet.

I hope this dispute ends. Even though no one liked the long lines and crapped conditions, the atmosphere was part of the experience.

One of the comments in the Arlnow article says that the court date is February 8th, so we'll see what happens.

Are you looking for a cafe in Maryland or one in downtown DC? There are quite a few good ones downtown, but the only thing I know in Maryland is that Quartermaine Roasters is up there (in Bethesda).

If you want something in the morning, maybe you'd want to stop by Politics & Prose (a nice book store) for some coffee on your way downtown.

The Mongolian bbq was the downstairs restaurant, if memory serves. I'll avoid Tony Cheng's, though. I had my suspicions it was poor, but the photos of famous people enticed me. I had a solid tripe dish, but most of the dumplings were not very good. This was a few years ago and nothing was good enough to inspire me to go back.

Is there any good Chinese food in Chinatown (it doesn't have to be Dim Sum).

Interesting. This seems very different from the truck. I'm a fan of the truck (unlike some others here) because they're cheap and authentic and served by very friendly people (they threw in an extra taco for free when I went there).

Does anyone have an opinion on the Dim Sum at Tony Cheng's? I went there during the week, so it wasn't a real dim sum experience (no carts, for example), but it said they do the full service on the weekends. Is it any good?

Yeah. Go at least once. You probably won't go again, but it's worth the visit the first time. The half smokes are great and the chili is mediocre. It's also not cheap for a sausage/big hot dog.

I'm betting that the reason is because it was Yokohama. Further west (like Osaka) the Tonkatsu is much fattier and less healthy.

They're not owned by the same outfit, but I believe they have the same meat supplier.

Is there a season for soft-shell crab? Or do they shed year-round?

This is kind of related. Does anyone know where I can get the lobster bodies for stock? I asked the guy at Harris Teeter and he looked at me like I was crazy. It was a good price for the tails, but when he acted like there never were bodies attached, I became nervous about the quality.

I ate there a few years ago and I thought it was really good. The owner came out to talk to us and was really friendly.

I'm not sure about that area (there are some finds up there, but I haven't really explored all the sprawl). If you don't mind a bit of a drive, the best sushi dollar for dollar is the Sushi Deli at the Japanese Market at North Bay Village (79th Street Causeway between the Upper Eastside and North Beach). It's worth your trek, though.

I'm not sure how "real" you want your sushi. There's really a lot of options for quality sushi at varying degrees of authenticity. If you just want Japanese food, I'd recommend Yakko-san and Hiro's on 163rd in North Miami Beach. They both have huge menus, good sushi and the drive is only about 30 minutes. If you find yourself in Coral Gables, though, Su-Shin Izakaya is a must.

Provolone usually wins opinion polls and I've usually had it since I was a kid (#2 is American). Wiz is acceptable, but calling it the definitive order is something Philadelphians sell to tourists.