Indian - nauvratan korma or saag paneer
Thai - pad Thai or red curry with chicken or beef
Sushi - caterpillar roll
Korean - bi bum bap
Middle eastern - chicken shawarma

All of those are good starter dishes

Anonymous wrote:Vietnamese - Minh's in Clarendon is the best other than going to Eden Center - Try their escargot, Northern Vietnamese pork, shrimp on sugarcane

Ethiopian - They usually have combo menus that are great. Veggie combos are my favorite

Thai - Thai Square in S. Arlington - anything is great.

Peruvian Chicken - El Pollo Rico is a classic. It's chicken and fries.

chicken & yuca is much more delicious

Thai buffet: Thai Herbs in Alexandria on Rt. 1. It's very good and reasonably priced.

Anonymous wrote:Great thread -- can someone suggest things I'd like on a Thai menu? I like chicken/tofu/veggies and stir fries generally. I like moderate spice but not pungent flavors or sauces -- I stay away from things like vinegar, sesame etc.

Also is Thai food eaten with rice like Chinese food?

I'm a life long picky eater who has tried to broaden out and explore other options, if for no other reason that in this area people expect you to like ethnic food. But I feel far too old to be able to ask these questions in real life.

I love drunken noodle or basil noodle. Just ask for it not too spicy. Also, as a pp mentioned, panang tofu is a delicious peanut curry. Just ask for it mild. enjoy. Ugh I'm hungry.

Anonymous wrote:How about sushi recs -- I'm the aforementioned picky eater asking about Thai. I am not interested in raw fish in any way, yet everyone is always telling me sushi restaurants have more than that. What are good "starters" (not appetizers - but to learn that type of cuisine) when people want to go out for sushi?

Go out with friends who are good at sushi, start with Sake Bombs. Then try spicy tuna rolls! Yum. I don't like fish and that's how I started. Lots of wasabi and dipping!

avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, tempura shrimp rolls, california rolls (there's nothing raw in them unless you get them with roe)

Anonymous wrote:How about sushi recs -- I'm the aforementioned picky eater asking about Thai. I am not interested in raw fish in any way, yet everyone is always telling me sushi restaurants have more than that. What are good "starters" (not appetizers - but to learn that type of cuisine) when people want to go out for sushi?

Shrimp and eel on/in sushi are cooked. Many types of California rolls have cooked ingredients. Some places make rolls with smoked salmon, though it's not authentic Japanese.

How about sushi recs -- I'm the aforementioned picky eater asking about Thai. I am not interested in raw fish in any way, yet everyone is always telling me sushi restaurants have more than that. What are good "starters" (not appetizers - but to learn that type of cuisine) when people want to go out for sushi?

19:49 here.

To the picky eaters, at Thai restaurants, my 4 year old gets Pad See Eew, which is wide rice noodles with a sweet soy sauce and broccoli. It's mild and not spicy.

At Indian restaurants, tikka masala and butter chicken are both pretty mild crowd pleasers generally speaking. I'd highly recommend going to an Indian buffet and trying a variety of things in small portions and remembering what they are. Indian bread (naan) is also very good and can come stuffed with various things.

I've yet to find a Thai buffet, but if anyone finds one, please tell me, as that sounds like heaven.

Some Thai food comes with rice, some with rice noodles.

Pad Thai is a good starter Thai dish if you do not like spicy food. If you're into spicy food, Pad Kee Mao (sometimes listed as Drunken Noodles) is good. The former is skinny rice noodles with a sweetish sauce, peanuts, sometimes vegetables, and a protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu, whatever). The latter is wide rice noodles with onions, peppers, tomatoes and a protein in a spicy sauce.

Thai curries are also good and can be spiced to taste. They come with rice.

At Indian restaurants, my favorite things are samosas and tikka masala (either with chicken or paneer, which is Indian cheese - depends on the restaurant though). It's a creamy tomato sauce with Indian seasoning and is served with rice.

I do not care for Ethiopian food personally. I have tried over and over and I just don't like the bread.

Vietnamese - Minh's in Clarendon is the best other than going to Eden Center - Try their escargot, Northern Vietnamese pork, shrimp on sugarcane

Ethiopian - They usually have combo menus that are great. Veggie combos are my favorite

Thai - Thai Square in S. Arlington - anything is great.

Peruvian Chicken - El Pollo Rico is a classic. It's chicken and fries.

Great thread -- can someone suggest things I'd like on a Thai menu? I like chicken/tofu/veggies and stir fries generally. I like moderate spice but not pungent flavors or sauces -- I stay away from things like vinegar, sesame etc.

Also is Thai food eaten with rice like Chinese food?

I'm a life long picky eater who has tried to broaden out and explore other options, if for no other reason that in this area people expect you to like ethnic food. But I feel far too old to be able to ask these questions in real life.

Try the Indian lunch buffets. Good value for money, and you will be able to sample a whole variety of dishes.

Ethiopian -- Doro Wat

Thai -- Penang Curry

Indian -- Murgh Makhani

New to DC area. I'm excited to be near so many new types of food, but I have no idea where to start. Tell me your favorite dish and what type of restaurant (e.g., "Korma Chicken--Indian"). Specific restaurant suggestions in NoVA for a poor 20-something welcome as well. Thanks!