11EZTHE WASHINGTON POST.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019toys, along with brushstrokes of
color that infuse the interior with
the vibrancy of a Thai market.
The fried fish cakes are springy as
ever, and the lemongrass broth,
punctuated with shrimp and
straw mushrooms, retains its
tang; Panngern changed the look,
but not the chef.
With almost 100 dishes to pon-
der, a cheat sheet helps. Remem-
ber the numbers 7, 17 and 68 on
the menu. From the kitchen flow
slices of minced pork and shrimp,
edged in bean curd skin; nam sod,
a porky salad ignited with ginger,
red onion, Thai chile and lime;
and glossy, honey-roasted duck
with fried basil, one of the most
popular dishes on the list. Just
reading the description tells you
why. Not every dish soars (the
whole rockfish was dry last visit),
but plenty more tends to fly off
the plate in the new! improved!
Thai Square.
3217 Columbia Pike, Arlington.
703-685-7040. thaisquarerestau-
rant.com. Dinner entrees, $10.95
to $17.50.UNCONVENTIONAL
DINERYes, it’s unconventional. Your
garden-variety diner doesn’t
sheath fish sticks in tempura or
present banana splits as three-
bite ice cream cones. But that’s to
be expected when an acolyte of
the late Michel Richard, David
Deshaies, is in the kitchen and
shares his famous mentor’s sense
of whimsy and good taste. Check
out his supper menu: Deshaies
hides his superb crab cake in a
tumbleweed of spiky fried phyllo
and gives shrimp and grits a
Caribbean lilt with the help of
plantains and pineapple in the
bowl. In the chef-owner’s hands,
chicken parm is a thing of beauty
— I love its bundle of housemade
spaghetti, tossed in butter, Par-
mesan and chicken stock — and
nachos are coaxed from dehydrat-
ed kale. Bet you can’t eat just one
of the chips, stippled with avoca-
do-lime sauce and an enhancer of
cashews, lemon and bell pepper.
Brunch is now served
throughout the week: blueberry
pancakes with candied ginger if
you’re feeling like breakfast, or a
glorious Middle Eastern salad of
quinoa, chopped kale and hum-
mus if you want something
brighter. The fun doesn’t stop
with the food, served in a dining
room dressed with framed graffiti
on the walls, plants positioned
above the exhibition kitchen and
servers who seem to want noth-
ing more than to make you glad
you chose this place over the
more conventional competition.
1207 Ninth St. NW. 202-847-- unconventionaldiner.com.
Dinner entrees, $16 to $89 (for
family-style short ribs).
Read the full review here.
[email protected]
white and gray whisper “Greece,”
as do lamb ribs propped up on
their plate with smoky eggplant
salad, and a wedge of tender
orange cake. General manager
Angela Pagonis says her family
has a vision for the business: “We
want to bring Greece here.” Sure
enough, these meals edge diners
closer to the islands.
8100 Boone Blvd., Vienna. 703-
760-0690. nostosrestaurant.com.
Dinner entrees, $24 to $40.THAI SQUARE
Until it changed hands two
years ago, Thai Square fit its
name all too well. While the cook-
ing was a sure thing, the setting
was spartan. New owner Kris
Panngern ordered up a redesign,
showcasing tea pots and smallto taste it. The restaurant’s choice
whip of fish roe, lemon juice and
olive oil, scooped up with warm
pita, could pass for a cloud. Nos-
tos is where I also come for whole
fish, typically sweet-fleshed bran-
zino, filleted by a server with the
precision of a surgeon and pre-
sented with horta — pleasantly
bitter boiled greens — and roast
potatoes kissed with lemon and
oregano.
You’ll be greeted at the door by
someone who acts as if they’ve
been expecting your company
and led to a linen-dressed table
where the walls are dressed with
black-and-white photographs of
fishermen or famous faces (An-
thony Quinn mid-dance) from
earlier times. Strategically placed
olive branches and a palette ofmenus they can color on, and the
house-baked breads, including
Paris-worthy baguettes, are basi-
cally a course in themselves. “Are
you enjoying the flavors?” a serv-
er asks. Plates scraped clean of
lamb couscous and apple tarte
Tatin must make executive chef
Greg Lloyd as joyeux as his audi-
ence.
1601 14th St. NW. 202-332-- lediplomatedc.com. Dinner
entrees, $18 to $38.
NOSTOS
Greece remains on my bucket
list. Meantime, I trek to Tysons for
the sunshine and seafood I expect
I’ll encounter when I actually
make it to the cradle of Western
civilization. If there’s a lighter
taramasalata out there, I have yetLE DIPLOMATE
As many as 2,000 diners pass
through this 300-seat behemoth
on weekends. The numbers (and
noise!) are impressive, but no
more remarkable than the quality
of the French cooking. If you’re on
the hunt for textbook-perfect es-
cargots, shellfish towers or beef
bourguignon, step inside, where
some of the best seats await in the
light-filled rear garden room, fac-
ing the sidewalk. The fluffy rolled
omelet is in a class by itself, so
consistently well-executed that
chefs in the Philadelphia-based
Starr Restaurants group cycle
through to learn the technique.
Minor things yield major divi-
dends. Kids are entertained with
EATS FROM 10
DEB LINDSEY FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTThe new owner at Thai Square in Arlington updated the restaurant’s look but wisely kept the chef on board.
DEB LINDSEY FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTABOVE: Tod mun pla at Thai Square are golden fried fish patties served with
cucumber and crushed peanuts in sweet chili sauce. RIGHT: Rum banana
pudding at Rose’s Luxury. LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST