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Asia Cafe or other Chinese takeout?

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by StevieD, Aug 19, 2006.

  1. StevieD

    StevieD New Member

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    Cliff! A Krazy Jim aficionado! We didn't live in A2 long (2 years) - lived in Charlotte, NC for 12 years before that. We'll definitely miss A2, but looking forward to being near the mountains once again.
     
  2. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Charlotte's another nice city. I'll bet you'll soon be missing the Chicken Coop!
     
  3. StevieD

    StevieD New Member

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    Cliff,
    I'm impressed. Yes, I do miss the Chicken Coop, as well as Mr. K's, another one of my haunts. I used to live within walking distance of both. Did you live there, or just take a tour of greasy dives??!!!

    How about some good recommendations of similar...ahem "gourmet food"... here in NOVA.
     
  4. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    I've only been to Charlotte a few times, the last being 2 months ago. Whenever I travel to a city, I look for three things: Brew pubs, comic/book stores, and local restaurants the tourists don't know about.
    Haven't found many great local spots around here. Most places tend to be chains. I'm sure there are some in DC, but I don't go down there too often.
    Going back to the topic of the thread, Cafe Opera has excellent food. Whenever I want Asian, that's where I go. It blows away all the fast food takeout Chinese places.
    If you look around on the forums I know there are a few threads dedicated to restaurants.
     
  5. jaxmanjoe

    jaxmanjoe Blah, Blah, Blah

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    In Ashburn it is definitely Cafe Opera. Try the Golden Cup!

    In Sterling you can try Cheng's which is great, also.

    The best by far in the area, though, is Pacific in the Target/Office Depot shopping center in Sterling. It is awesome! Really great Sunday Brunch, also, but it is a little pricy for the buffet. I think around $25 or so.
     
  6. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    just tried Pacific last week- really great food. nice atmosphere too- somewhat cheesy but that's part of its charm... :)

    still not better than Cafe Opera by a longshot on similar dishes, but they have different offerings and are worth a try.
     
  7. kahlua1

    kahlua1 New Member

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    Used to order from Asia Cafe and liked it but last night ordered from Cafe Opera and REALLY enjoyed that. Both are good...thought Cafe Opera seemed a bit better. Had never tried it before reading this post since I thought it was a little bit of a strange name? Can't judge a book by its cover though, eh?

    Thanks.
     
  8. rlab

    rlab New Member

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    How about best place for General Tso's Chicken? Cafe Opera as well?
     
  9. christinaandrob

    christinaandrob New Member

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    Anyone know where to get really good Pad Thai? I've tried Cafe Operas and didn't like theirs as much. I'm excited to see a new Thai place opening up (at the Safeway center).

    Speaking of which, the Vietnamese place there (name is escaping me at the moment!) is also very, very good.
     
  10. rlab

    rlab New Member

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  11. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    the Thai restaurant in front of the Regal movie theater in Sterling is excellent. My husband is a HUGE fan of Thai food and rates theirs pretty high.
     
  12. StevieD

    StevieD New Member

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    A bit off-topic, but is the shopping center where the Regal cinema is located safe?? It seems that I keep hearing about a lot of crime in that area.
     
  13. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    They're simply big fans of opera music!
     
  14. joy

    joy New Member

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    If you dine in at Café Opera, you may be treated to an opera projected onto their back wall while dining. They take requests, too.
     
  15. theonlyicey

    theonlyicey New Member

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    Cafe Opera is by far the best around here.. If you don't like the way something is prepared.. let them know.. they will always make it up to you. When the owner found out we were from NY and I told her I missed having the crispy noodles bought to you when you sit down (with duck sauce and hot mustard) she bought us a bowl right away. When we go in and sit down... guess what we get?? We also love Chengs.. When I was pregnant with my first child many many years ago and lived in Sterling.. I craved Chinese food.. We went to Cheng's probably 2 times a week.. my ankles just loved all that salt... I also love the scallion pancakes at Pacific. When we went there for my son's 16th birthday.. Louis Cheng (who owns Cheng's and Pacific) greeted us by name... and bought my son a HUGE piece of cake and they sang Happy Birthday :)
     
  16. boomertsfx

    boomertsfx Booyakasha!

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    There's a deal at Restaurant.com to buy a $25 Cafe Opera certificate for $4. You can use it with a min $50 purchase (so $50 of food would cost you $29).... A good deal if you bring the whole fam! They also have a Domani certificate as well... we love Domain up in Ashburn near the old Giant.

    From slickdeals:

    "Apply code 65639 to receive 60% off gift certificates at Restaurant.com for your local restaurants. They have $25 gift certificates for $4 after coupon."
     
  17. sharse

    sharse TeamDonzi rocks!!

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    Is it just me, or is Asia Cafe going downhill? Or maybe it's that I've tried Cafe Opera enough times to fall in love. Cafe Opera is now WAY above Asia Cafe on my list.
     
  18. theonlyicey

    theonlyicey New Member

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    sharse.. I agree with you.. the last few times we went to Asia cafe the taste were way off. Also, they add so much salt/soy sauce/msg. I don't think the meat in the potstickers was cooked. The one thing I found out about Cafe Opera.. when I told her I didn't like that much salty stuff.. they added that to the computer.. so everytime we go in they know ..no/not much salt. How's that for customer service. :)
     
  19. gb10

    gb10 General Lurker

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    I gotta go with the majority and agree that Cafe Opera is the best - and I'm not even very fond of asian cuisine generally.

    I used to live in Ann Arbor as a kid - lived right on Dexter Road and went to Abbott Elementary. I loved Ann Arbor!
     
  20. tyger31

    tyger31 Member

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    Did Asia Cafe get a new cook or something? We used to order from there all the time, but have noticed their food going downhill as well. Has anyone tried the new Asian restaurant in the Southern Walk Center yet? Can't remember the name offhand...Hunan something....
     

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