Sarah "slygirl" L.'s Profile

I recently moved to Falls Church, and this is the closest post office near my house. I regularly mail packages and usually print my shipping labels from home. My laser printer was acting up, so I went to this location on Friday. While it's a hassle to get to, there is plenty of parking, and there are other distractions (Home Depot, Michael's, Shopper's, Barnes & Noble, and Tiffany's Bakery, to name a few) to make up for the annoyance of going through Seven Corners.

The reason for 2 stars? I found this post office to be more for the customer who prefers a face-to-face interaction versus the more self-reliant ones. There's no Automated Postal Center, which is my fault, because I should have checked USPS' website beforehand. I wanted to send an item via Priority Mail Small Flat Rate. There were no Small Flat Rate boxes available, so I had to wait in line to request one. Instead of just giving me the box, the post office clerk weighed my item to let me know how much it was going to cost, which is silly because Small Flat Rate is a set price. Unless the item is ridiculously heavy, the price is going to be the same! She tried to package my item for me, and said it wouldn't fit. I packaged my item myself and got it to fit perfectly. Then I waited in line again. Luckily, it wasn't busy when I came, otherwise I would have been frustrated. This is normally a 5-minute errand and it ended up taking a lot longer than I anticipated.

The staff were friendly, so if you are new to shipping packages and are looking for a bit of hand-holding, then maybe you would have a better experience here. Also, they put extra tape on my package, which other post offices won't do for Priority Mail packages (they usually don't like you using a lot of tape on the small flat rate ones).

It's only open Mon-Fri from 8:30-2 and 3-5pm and are closed on Sat/Sun. Last pick-up is at 5pm.

I went to eat lunch with my co-worker (an older Vietnamese-Chinese lady) today. She's old school and is quite opinionated about food, so here's her advice about Mi La Cay: overall, she prefers Hai Ky. She also told me that back in the day, the owner of Mi La Cay ran Hai Ky with his brother. Somewhere down the line, he opened Mi La Cay, running in direct competition with his brother. Hai Ky starts serving alcohol and caters to a rowdier Vietnamese crowd in the early evening, so she doesn't like going there because they stop serving specific dishes, doesn't care for the loud ambiance, and claims that you won't be able to get a good table except by the door.

Coincidentally, I ate dinner at Mi La Cay Thursday night with my boyfriend. I get off work late, and our choices are extremely limited after 8pm, when most restaurants start closing. I don't care much for the restaurants with the "bar scene" as I'm trying to unwind and decompress after a long shift. This restaurant doesn't have posted hours on their door, but they seated us, anyway. They display specials on each table, and you can't go wrong with them. I was really craving wonton noodle soup, but decided to err on the side of caution and get the "mi hu tieu dac biet". If you are a fan of mi do bien (seafood noodle soup) you would really like this dish. I requested mine with soup on the side. My bowl of noodles included ground pork, shrimp, fish ball, squid, beef liver, char siu. It included perfectly cooked angel-hair egg noodles, to which I would drizzle a bit of broth into the bowl with every bite. The concentrated broth at the bottom of the bowl, combined with shallots, lettuce, scallions and other ingredients was absolutely delicious. The shrimp toast was also excellent.

My boyfriend ordered Bun Bi Cha Gio and also enjoyed his dish. His bowl was huge! I don't think I would be able to finish a bowl that size. He said the cha gio was one of the better ones he's had in Eden Center.

Vietnamese primer
DAC BIET: special; specialty entree
MI: noodles, usually the egg noodle kind (yellow)
MI KHO: noodles served "dry" style, with a small bowl of broth coming on the side
MI NUOC: noodle soup

Cash only! Pay at the register.

Solid place for banh cuon! My co-worker (an older Vietnamese-Chinese lady) treated me here for a late lunch. It's been many years since I last frequented Banh Cuon Thang Long. I feel that this corner is the forgotten wing of Eden Center. Back when I was a kid, this was the "new" wing, but nowadays, it's mostly karaoke bars and not much else.

Being an older generation Vietnamese, my co-worker knows what's best and insisted I ordered their #1, which is a combination of the ground pork rice crepes, shrimp rice crepes, cha lua, and banh cong. I am generally not a fan of dried shrimp, but here it's finely minced and has a nice flavor with none of the weird rubbery texture expected of dried shrimp. Also, their banh cong is a must-try. Banh cong is a muffin-esque fried fritter made from mung beans, taro root, and prawns. I don't recommend eating a lot ot once, as they tend to be heavy on the starch from the taro root. I definitely have the "itis" now. (In fact, it took me over 4 hours to write this review because I laid down for a "quick" nap.)

Their nuoc mam (fish sauce) that you're supposed to drizzle on your banh cuon is on the sour side and what my co-worker calls "flavorless," so I recommend doctoring up yours with some chili paste, some sugar, and a little soy. I didn't believe her, but when I tried her version, it was greatly improved.

The "small" portion is good enough for an average sized-person. For bigger appetites, request the "large" portion.

Very clean. Cash only!

Pretty crowded for 4pm on a Saturday. I had visited this place nearly 5 years ago and haven't been back, but my boyfriend was in the mood for noodle soup. I think this is the only place in DC that carries the hand-pulled kind. When you enter, you see people eating three things: noodle soup, steamed or pan-fried dumplings, and rice dishes topped with char siu or roasted duck or chicken. Take this as your cue and order what the people around you are having. I was also the only Asian person in the dining room aside from the waitstaff (take that what you will).

Their noodles are thick, like udon. I like the texture, but they didn't have any flavor. Broth was decent; no major complexities, but for $6/bowl, you get a decent serving of noodles, meat, and what looks like Shanghai bok choy. You have your choice of chicken, beef, seafood, or veggie. Last time I had the seafood, which came with little baby octopi, so I opted for beef. The pork and leek dumplings were alright. Our bill came to much less than what we expected, but for 2 people, it was $20 with tax and tip included.

Note: A sign by the register says $20 minimum for credit cards. From the looks of it, they may have had a lower minimum amount in the past, but taped a new number over the old one. Amex/Visa/MC.

Even though we were pretty full from eating at multiple places in Chinatown, we decided to stop at this bakery for a couple of snacks to eat in our hotel room. When you enter, you're on the red carpet. The baked goods are the stars of the event. But just like celebs, you can look, but no touch! They have employees there to select for you. We got a pineapple bun and a custard bun. Both were $1/each. When we left the bakery, we couldn't help but nibble a bit on our freshly bought goods. However, there was no custard in either, and the flavor was so bland that we couldn't tell which was which! As the day went on, we would take a bite here and there, only to have the same look of disappointment on our faces. Into the waste bin they went.

The best baked pork buns I've had in a long time. it also helps that they cost $0.80/each! A lot of places in the DC area charge $1.50. If you're not a fan of fattier cuts of meat, then these pork buns are not for you. But I am. Yummy in my tummy :9

This is an average rating of 3.5 stars. 3 stars from me, and 5 stars from my boyfriend. It definitely helps if you speak Chinese. I unfortunately don't. However, growing up, I used to get dumpling noodle soup all the time with my Auntie 8. She always ordered in Chinese, even though she spoke only Vietnamese. I recalled those Chinese words from the recesses of my mind and uttered them to the guy making the dumplings. He gave me the blankest stare known to man and pointed to the wall. (So much for that.)

We ordered 2 bowls and sat at the counter. I thought the noodles were very good, but I just wasn't a fan of the broth, which was lacking depth or any additional flavor. On the counter they have vinegar, chili oil, and some kind of really gross preserved pickled vegetables... who knows how long it's been there (and I'm not a germaphobe by any means). I thought the dumplings were well-prepared, though my preference leans towards pork/shrimp mixture when it comes to filling. However, my boyfriend thought it was one of the best meals we had during our stay in NY. We will probably come here again, or try another noodle shop the next time we visit.

Pro-tips:
Cash only
Bottled water at the door are for customers. Help yourself!

I remember a thread in the Talk forums about a Yelper who was a fan of milk tea pudding. Black milk tea is one of my favorite flavors, so that's what I ordered when I came to Jumbo Jumbo. I saw pudding as an add-on so I requested it. With bubbles as well. I think the Taiwanese dude raised a proverbial eyebrow and mentally declared me a n00b. Pudding with boba is just plain weird. Texturally, it tastes like soft tofu. Combined with perfectly cooked boba? Just too much going on, man. So lesson learned--next time I will pick one or the other.

Note: Minimum order $10 for credit cards.

I recently rode back from NY to DC on Megabus. This updated review was averaged between me and my boyfriend.

Pros
- For 2 people, the price was $22.50. Awesome price if you like to plan ahead and buy your tickets in advance.
- We arrived one hour early and was able to take the 3:30pm bus. They usually charge a fee to change your time but the guy told us not to worry about it. So I guess sometimes they enforce the rules and sometimes they don't.

Cons
- Leg room was uncomfortable for my 6'2" boyfriend
- Seems to be a bumpier ride
- Hot bus
- The guy behind us was the loudest mouth breather ever. I seriously thought he was snoring for 4 hours. Nope. Wide awake.

Also, fellow passengers? I think some of you need to invest in a good set of noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones. Some good brands are Sennheiser, AudioTechnica, Etymotic, and Klipsch. And I suppose if you're a sucker for marketing, Beats by Dr. Dre (seriously, go with the other brands). Beyonce will sound a lot better, and you won't kill your hearing by blasting her songs through those crappy Skullcandy earbuds. Trust.

We had a fantastic late lunch here last Tuesday. We were on our way to the Museum of the Moving Image but were famished. We were warmly greeted by the owner and he explained the menu. They have a Weekday Lunch Combo Special from 11am-4pm. For $7, you get your choice of one arepa and a juice or soda. For $12, you get 2 arepas and a juice or soda. The fillings were wide and varied, from traditional Venezuelan-style shredded beef to baby shark.

I forgot what my friend ordered, but I chose camarones (shrimp cooked with tomato, onion sauce, and cilantro) and pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, sprinkled with white cheese). They came with bottles of cilantro mayo and another sauce that was hot and sweet. I love condiments, so I generously used both. I enjoyed the contrasting savory and sweet flavors of the pabellon. Their cafe con leche was also surprisingly delicious. This meal hit the spot, especially since we haven't eaten anything since 6:40am.

This is my second time trying arepas (my first being at Caracas). This one was a much better experience. Great lunch special, no wait, and you don't feel like you're rubbing elbows with the customers next to you. Pro-tip: grab more napkins, as it can get messy.