Welcome to the new academic year -- and a new season of dining around. Several fine new restaurants have opened this year, adding to the Langley Park - Long Branch area's reputation as one of the metropolitan region's best concentrations of good value dining establishments. (Fortunately, all of my old favorites remain open for return visits.)
Asian Taste (8545 Piney Branch Road, 588-3075), open since March 1995, is a significant addition to area dining. Owned by Yemini-Vietnamese-American Abdul Ali and Vietnamese-American wife-chef Dahn (Linda) Ali Ai, this restaurant offers a wide range of Vietnamese and Thai dishes. The former offerings are certainly understandable because both Abdul and Dahn were born in Vietnam; the latter is explained by Dahn's years of work in Thai restaurants. She also draws upon Chinese and Japanese cooking traditions. Dahn has been cooking for decades; her first important job was in Saigon's Maxim; in this area, she was one of the cook's in Thai Orchid's kitchen.
Dahn uses fresh ingredients, is sparing with oil and MSG, and takes special pride in her marinades. The presentations are impressive. Asian Taste has a varied menu (be sure to read the regular menu as well as the smaller one in the vertical plastic holder) but seems to emphasize dishes with shrimps or goat meat. Why goat? I'm told it is a Vietnamese favorite.
I've begun meals with three different Thai appetizers, Shrimp and Scallop on Skewer ($4.95), Chicken on Skewer ($2.95), and Asian Taste Satay ($7.95), as well as the Vietnamese Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls with shrimps, $2.25). There are lots of soups, including three with lemon grass, as well as Vietnamese hot pots. The salads and main dishes with shrimps are my personal favorites; for instance, I've enjoyed Shrimp and Bean Threat Salad ($5.25) and Shrimp in Crab Meat Sauce ($7.95). Several shrimp dishes have "volcanic" in their name, an apt description! Here are some other recommendations: the Lau Do Bien (Seafood Combination Hot Pot, $8.95 small and $12.95 large), Ca Hap Thap Cam (Steamed Whole Flounder, generous servings for two, about $17, or for three or four, $20), and old-reliable Pad Thai (pan-fried Thai noodle dish with shrimps, tofu, egg, and bean sprout, $6.95). There is a wide range of nicely prepared vegetarian dishes. Co-researcher Celia Shapiro pronounced both the Vegetarian Spring Roll ($2) and the Curry Bean Curd Thai Style ($4.95) "delicious." The service of Abdul, Dahn, and lovely assistant Lan adds to the dining pleasure.
Swagat (2063 E. University Blvd., 434-2247), a vegetarian Indian restaurant, opened for business this August in what was formerly a post office building on the south side of University Boulevard just east of Riggs Road. It is run by the Shah brothers, who operate restaurants in Columbia, Maryland, as well as in the District of Columbia at Union Station and the Old Post Office Building. Connected to the restaurant is the owners' Indian grocery store featuring many of the ingredients used by the restaurant's chefs.
I asked one of the owners how the Langley Park area, with few Indian residents, could support two first-rate vegetarian Indian restaurants as well as competing across-the-street groceries and several sari shops. He said that Indians from throughout the metropolitan area and as far away as Baltimore come to the area to eat, purchase groceries, and shop for saris.
At lunch, there is a delicious buffet for $6.95 that usually features five "curry" dishes (many not on the regular menu) and associated bread, yogurt, and dal. I had two helpings of each of the curries and found them quite tasty and well prepared. The curries range in regional origin from the north to the south of India. (Curry is a seasoning category that often uses ground dried chiles mixed with various herbs and spices.) My favorite at the restaurant has been a very nicely seasoned bitter gourd curry.
The regular menu includes a range of vegetable curries priced at $5.95 and $6.95, including pandeer with fresh coriander, spinach with cheese, potatoes and cauliflower, and baked eggplant. There are three lentil dishes, seven breads (including puran poli, a Gujrati specialty of wheat bread stuffed with mashed sweet lentils and flavored with saffron, cardamon, and nutmeg, six rice dishes (my favorite is hari chutney pullav, with basmati rice and coriander, ginger, green chilies, and vegetables, priced at $5.50), South Indian dishes featuring various dosas, snacks, and deserts.
For the Newcomer: For readers who are not familiar with the area, let me suggest a small sample of my personal favorite restaurants. In downtown College Park, I usually eat at Planet X (7422 Baltimore Blvd., 779-8451), a coffee house vegetarian restaurant with a rich range of food and drink. To the west, consider the other local Indian vegetarian restaurant, Udupi Palace (1329 University Blvd. East, 434-1531), Tabeer serving Pakistani food in the International Mall (1401 University Blvd., 434-2121, enter the upper level at the rear of the building), and the close-in Viet Deli (2065 University Blvd., 422-6339). South on Route 1 is the somewhat upscale Calvert Inn (just past Route 410 at 6211 Baltimore Ave., 864-5220). Heading north past the Beltway, a good Korean restaurant is Myongdong, or "Oriental Noodle" (11124 Baltimore Blvd., tel. 595-4173), and cheap vegetarian eats can be found at the nearby Berwyn Cafe (5010 Berwyn Rd., 345-6655). To the east, a good Indian restaurant is Maharaja (8825 Greenbelt Rd., 552-1600), and an okay Japanese establishment is Osaka (8855 Greenbelt Road, 552-1442).
Suggestions, evaluations, and...criticisms with regard to this or any other Dining Around column should be sent to me at 1117 LeFrak Hall, UMCP, or Emailed to BHANNA@BSS2.UMD.EDU. William John Hanna is a professor in the Urban Studies and Planning Program at College Park. He is directing the Langley Park Project, which he claims involves more than eating at the local restaurants!