A&J, The Tang Family's Fine Taiwan-Based Chain in Rockville and Annandale

[PollyG]

Full disclosure here-- my uncle owns A&J. I saw the recent reports that spicy dishes haven't been as spicy lately so I asked the manager (a/k/a my mom) what's going on. She said that the inconsistency in spice levels may be due to the actual chiles/peppers in the recipe. There have been no changes to the recipes. It's like when you eat a jalapeno and sometimes you get one that's really spicy other times you get ones that aren't that spicy. This happens to me a lot with banh mi.

Please let the waitress know if you feel like dishes don't taste the way they usually do, we're very concerned with consistency. Also rest assured- there is no "dumbing down" of spice levels at our restaurant for non-Chinese customers. Everyone gets the same menu and the same food and hopefully you all like it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone-- please feel free to PM with questions, comments or concerns. And sorry Soup- I can't reveal the ancient family recipes

Thanks for the insight. That would explain why the pickled long bean dish varies from visit to visit. It is always good, but some days it is just pops on the tongue more than others.

Our most recent discovery, thanks to the couple who were seated at the big communal table with us, is the black vinegar, which you can request to go with the pan-fried pork dumplings. It's an even better pairing than the white vinegar that is at each table.

Is there any chance you can convince the family that Herndon/Reston really, really needs an A&J? Given that we couldn't even support 1 authentic Korean restaurant out here, I don't have much hope.

[gnatharobed]

We've been thinking about Reston for quite some time. Let us know if you see any good spots!

Thanks for the insight. That would explain why the pickled long bean dish varies from visit to visit. It is always good, but some days it is just pops on the tongue more than others.

Our most recent discovery, thanks to the couple who were seated at the big communal table with us, is the black vinegar, which you can request to go with the pan-fried pork dumplings. It's an even better pairing than the white vinegar that is at each table.

Is there any chance you can convince the family that Herndon/Reston really, really needs an A&J? Given that we couldn't even support 1 authentic Korean restaurant out here, I don't have much hope.

[deangold]

I dunno Deborah, the soup has been pretty wimpy on a couple of visits now and the other spicy dish we ordered Monday was a little lacking in heat.

But other than that, the other dishes were pretty across the board spectacular. We had the won tons in hot sauce and the dumplings were very tender and quite tasty (this was the other heat lacking dish). The new braised pork with egg dish was also incredible, very rich. We ordered so much and it was all good and we actually had left overs. Quite good were the seaweed salad with bean sprouts, mustard green with tofu skin, pickled cabbage, pot stickers. I thought the juicy pork buns xao long buns were good but not as soupy and densely flavored as I like. A very good dumpling if a slightly different experience than I was expecting. I would order them again. I know we had a few more dishes but I can't remember tham at this point in time. The 4 hour nap after that lunch probably had something to do with my memory loss!

By the way, this meal for 4 (with enough food for 5 or maybe 6 normal people) was all of $12 a person WITH tip.

[DonRocks]

A very good meal at A&J last night.

1101 Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Szechuan Style, $5.95)

1103 Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (Szechuan Style, $5.95)

I needed something spicy to get me through the day, and the broth from the tendon soup is exactly what the doctor ordered, notably deeper, richer, and spicier than what was in the beef soup. I wish I could have taken the soft, flavorful meat from the beef soup, and combined it with the broth from the tendon soup - actually, I did. The dense, wide noodles come across as very homemade.

3102 Chinese Style Fried Chicken on Rice ($5.95) - remains one of the best fried-chicken dishes in town - great!

4105 Pan-Fried Pork Dumpling / Pot Stickers ($5.95) - yep, a winner: homemade-tasting dumplings, well-fried

4203 Steamed Beef Dumpling ($2.65) - nope, not tonight: dumplings were steamed for too long

4109 Thousand-Layer Pancake ($2.85) - visually beautiful, nice texture, a pain to manipulate, must be eaten while hot

5201 Bean Curd with Thousand-Year Egg ($3.85) - the egg was uneventful for the second straight time, good bean curd

5214 Pickled Long Bean with Ground Beef ($2.55) - a sleeper dish at A&J, and a very good value

6206 Creamed Ice Tea Bubble Drink ($2.35)

6209 Honeydew Bubble Drink ($2.35)

Got to go with the honeydew here, unnatural shade of green though it may be.

Forty-two dollars for all this food? Ridiculous.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Soup]

The noodle soup dishes are very substatial and very good. My favorite is the one you had (1103). It does beg the question, which is the best noodle soup dish (e.g., pho, chinese egg noodle soup or rice noodle soup, jampong, udon) and the resturant that serves it in the DC area?

[Scott Johnston]

Don,

You ate more than the seven of us did the night before. (

FYI the wide noodles are house made.

We also had the Sliced Pork Ear's w/hot & Spiced Seasoning the night before, which was spicier than I remember it. The Smoked Chicken also amazes me in how they get that much smoked goodness out of a grill top smoker.

A&J has hands down the best spicy wontons w/ Hot Red Sauce evident by how we all fought over them.

Combine all of this goodness with cheap prices and great service!

[Soup]

Was there on sat. with my son He got the dumplings (cigar shape fried one), we split the spicy dumplings and I had the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup. The soup was the best by far. My son now has a new favorite dish at A&J. I think we might do another lunch there this weekend.

BTW, is there soup dumplings in at A&J. I wouldn't have guessed but I saw couple of tables that looked like soup dumplings and they were eating it like you would a soup dumpling.

[DanielK]

BTW, is there soup dumplings in at A&J. I wouldn't have guessed but I saw couple of tables that looked like soup dumplings and they were eating it like you would a soup dumpling.

They call them soup dumplings, they're listed as xiao long bao on the menu, they taste good, and I've had them at least once a month for years, but I've never gotten one that actually had any soup inside.

[StephenB]

They call them soup dumplings, they're listed as xiao long bao on the menu, they taste good, and I've had them at least once a month for years, but I've never gotten one that actually had any soup inside.

There seems to be a problem with the translation of the word "soup". At Hong Kong Palace last weekend, a group of us ordered "beef with vegetables in spicy broth," which I referred to as soup. The waiter took pains, with emphasis and annoying repetition, to assure us that it wasn't soup. I ate mine with chopsticks and a round spoon. And by the way, it was terrific. But soup.

[DanielK]

There seems to be a problem with the translation of the word "soup". At Hong Kong Palace last weekend, a group of us ordered "beef with vegetables in spicy broth," which I referred to as soup. The waiter took pains, with emphasis and annoying repetition, to assure us that it wasn't soup. I ate mine with chopsticks and a round spoon. And by the way, it was terrific. But soup.

But "soup dumplings", which is an Americanization of the name, are so named because there is liquid inside the dumpling. It's supposed to explode all over your mouth, which is why you eat them not by taking a bite, but by stuffing the mouth-sized dumpling inside and chomping down.

And while I've not had that broth explosion at A&J, they're still quite tasty. Contrast that with my experiences the last year at Chinatown Express in DC. I used to get soup dumplings there with broth inside, but my experiences the last year have been no broth, and a gummy, tasteless dumpling.

FWIW, the soup dumplings at Shanghai Cafe in Potomac are quite good, and Bob's Noodle recently started serving them, though I haven't had them there yet.

[goldenticket]

I had what I think are the soup dumplings at the Annandale A&J last week and they definitely had liquid inside them. But they were so big there was no way you could eat an entire dumpling in one bite. After some pretty messy bites, I asked for guidance on how best to eat them. The waitress explained that you usually eat with a spoon under the dumplingand then pour any spilled liquid into a bowl - maybe one that already has soup or rice in it.

(DanielK - if I'm correct, we didn't order the xiao long bao at the $20 Tuesday last week in Rockville - right? If we did then I'm the above is about some other item.)

[DanielK]

(DanielK - if I'm correct, we didn't order the xiao long bao at the $20 Tuesday last week in Rockville - right? If we did then I'm the above is about some other item.)

My memory is also that we did not order "XLB" at the $20 Tuesday last week.

[rbh]

yes, the proper way to eat soup dumplings is to use your chopsticks to pick them up and put them in one of the soup spoons. while in the soup spoon, you can add ginger and whatever other spices/sauces meet your fancy... then take a little bite, suck/slurp up the soup in the dumpling and then proceed to eat the rest of the dumpling.... of course the order of sucking and eating is at your discretion....

You should not be able to just pop the whole thing into your mouth... that's a recipe for a burnt tongue if the dumplings are well made. What makes these tricky to make is the dumping skin.. they need to be thick enough to withstand the steaming process w/o breaking (which also means properly tying the dumplings also), and the skillful should also be able to use chopsticks to pick them up without them breaking also. If you don't get the soup effect when you bite, they're just plain old dumplings... still potentially tasty... but just not the same. I have to try Bob's.... but I haven't found any in this area that compete w/ Joe's Shanghai in NYC yet.

[porcupine]

BTW, is there soup dumplings in at A&J. I wouldn't have guessed but I saw couple of tables that looked like soup dumplings and they were eating it like you would a soup dumpling.

Nomenclature aside, A&J has "Steamed Pork Bun" on the menu. A good fifteen minutes after you order, you'll get a steamer basket with four piping hot dumplings topped with shredded ginger. If you put one in your spoon to take a bite, you will get a little broth. Maybe not as much as proper soup dumplings, but it's definitely there. Every once in awhile the dumplings have been a little tough or a little dry on the outside, but overall they're some of the best things on the menu. I'll stand by this one, no qualifiers: I just realized I've probably eaten five to six hundred of them in the last few years. Holy cow, what a habit.

Minor quibble: multiple orders arrive in stacked steamer trays, which isn't a problem except that only the top layer has fresh ginger.

[gnatharobed]

Porcupine- I let the management (a/ka/ mom) know about the lack of ginger on multiple steamers...sorry about that! She says thanks for being great secret shoppers

[Sundae in the Park]

Note to self - A&J is not a great place to take a picky and suddenly noodle-hating (I was counting on those noodles!) pescetarian. Oh well, more dumplings for me! He did like the pan-fried vegetable bun, though.

[deangold]

Note to self - A&J is not a great place to take a picky and suddenly noodle-hating (I was counting on those noodles!) pescetarian. Oh well, more dumplings for me! He did like the pan-fried vegetable bun, though.

I always think of the pan fried dumplings as a half order!

[goodeats]

5201 Bean Curd with Thousand-Year Egg ($3.85) - the egg was uneventful for the second straight time, good bean curd

Cheers,

Rocks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't ever recall the eggs tasting anything other than like...eggs? Are they or have they tasted better or differently? Admittedly, the good ones have more of a melted center, but most of the time this dish just takes on with what it's seasoned. I was just curious.

You should not be able to just pop the whole thing into your mouth... that's a recipe for a burnt tongue if the dumplings are well made.

Unless you participate in a XLB-mouth-stuffing record. I don't know why this just reminded me of it, but my brother managed to stuff 6 in his mouth once. I don't think he felt his tongue for a long while after that....

I do enjoy going to A&J, though mostly I go to the one in Annandale. People say that Rockville's is better, but I haven't been there yet. Is there a huge difference in taste/presentation for those who have been to both?

[PollyG]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't ever recall the eggs tasting anything other than like...eggs? Are they or have they tasted better or differently? Admittedly, the good ones have more of a melted center, but most of the time this dish just takes on with what it's seasoned. I was just curious.

Unless you participate in a XLB-mouth-stuffing record. I don't know why this just reminded me of it, but my brother managed to stuff 6 in his mouth once. I don't think he felt his tongue for a long while after that....

I do enjoy going to A&J, though mostly I go to the one in Annandale. People say that Rockville's is better, but I haven't been there yet. Is there a huge difference in taste/presentation for those who have been to both?

The dining room in Rockville is slightly bigger. The food preparation is remarkably similar.

[turbogrrl]

Was heading north on Rockville Pike when a glance at my watch said 20:53 and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that A&J closed at 9. Pulled into the parking lot to be sure while I tried to mentally review my options. Yup, closed at 9. We started to turn the car around, when the manager dashed out the front door and waved at us. Really? You're sure?

We didn't need to be asked twice! Parked, dashed in and ordered what we always order: fried chicken noodle soup. buddha's delight. pork buns. braised pork with egg. It's amazing how happy that simple wave made me.

"See you tomorrow!" she called, as we stumbled out the door.

Hrmm. I *do* get out of class 2.

[silentbob]

5201 Bean Curd with Thousand-Year Egg ($3.85) - the egg was uneventful for the second straight time, good bean curd

We took our grandmother here for an early lunch on Sunday and she could not stop raving about this dish.

My favorite was probably the dan dan noodles, which trounce the Joe's Noodle House version in depth of flavor as well as controlling the spicy and numbing levels. A close second was the salty/savory soy milk (much better than the Pacifica Cafe version in every way).

Only bad selection was the steamed pork covered in rice powder with sweet potatoes. The meat was dry and either way overcooked or reheated. Then again, I am hardly unbiased and think that my mom's version is by far the best ever.

Overall, as always, we left stuffed and satisfied.

[ol_ironstomach]

I probably order that on 80% of my visits, but rarely find any takers when I offer to share with the rest of my party. Oh well

[Scott Johnston]

Just a update, Claud and i had a great dinner last Saturday at the Annendale location. Quailty Great, Food Great, Service Great. Even though the supermarket is clsoing, everything is open at A&J. God how I miss this place being so close to the old job!!!

[ulrath]

Did the research and tried A& for the first time yesterday.

The stars of the day were the fried chicken and the pan fried beef bun.

Also good was the Honeydew bubble drink, the braised pork (w/egg but not mentioned on the menu). The pan fried pork dumplings (which I beleive are the egg rolls mentioned in a previous post.). The spicy wontons were also good as well.

We did not care for the pork spare ribs (dry and flavorless). Also dissapointing was the dan dan noodles. I was expecting more along the lines of the schezuan style with ground pork but this was a peanut dish. Very bland although the wide noodles are good.

We would go back if only for the chicken. We consider the trip more of a scouting mission. Now we know what to order (and what not to).

[deangold]

A & J. Three stand out hits: Cuke salad, thick noodles in sour sauce, a first time for me. Hand made noodles with a soy and vinegar sauce with a bit of a bite. Superb peasant dish. Cold Salad of rice noodles, cuke, chicken in a thin sesame sauce spiked with hot mustard. Big disappointment: the usually reliably fantastic pot stickers. The dough was sticky and flimsy all at once, the meat dry, the flavor off. But by then I was too full to complain so I just packed most of the order and tossed it once home. $19.00 which proves that you simply cannot spend $20 at A & J unless you are a competitive eater!

[gnatharobed]

A & J. Three stand out hits: Cuke salad, thick noodles in sour sauce, a first time for me. Hand made noodles with a soy and vinegar sauce with a bit of a bite. Superb peasant dish. Cold Salad of rice noodles, cuke, chicken in a thin sesame sauce spiked with hot mustard. Big disappointment: the usually reliably fantastic pot stickers. The dough was sticky and flimsy all at once, the meat dry, the flavor off. But by then I was too full to complain so I just packed most of the order and tossed it once home. $19.00 which proves that you simply cannot spend $20 at A & J unless you are a competitive eater!

Dean- Thanks for the feedback! I have passed on your potsticker concerns to management. Could you please let me know what day and what time you went? Were you at the Rockville location?

Thanks again to all the donrockwell secret quality control testers out there- my family appreciates it

[deangold]

Dean- Thanks for the feedback! I have passed on your potsticker concerns to management. Could you please let me know what day and what time you went? Were you at the Rockville location?

Thanks again to all the donrockwell secret quality control testers out there- my family appreciates it

I do want to point out that in almost 30 or so visits where I have ordered the pot stickers, this is the first time they have been subpar. As I said, I was too stuffed with amazingly good food to expend any effort to complain. And the service, which I failed to mention, was superbly friendly.

[turbogrrl]

Another tasty meal at A&J. Nick and I don't share well, so we both got our own fried chicken noodle soup and braised eggs. (actually, we usually *do* share well— just not fried chicken, burratta, tomatoes, or eggs!)

We also split an order of steamed pork buns. I've noticed that the buns are now steamed on slices of carrot, rather than lettuce. I first noticed the change during the monkey county water problem, which made sense; can't wash the lettuce, really, except in boiling water, where it really wouldn't stand up. A carrot briefly boiled, though, is still pretty sturdy. But this seems to have continued, so maybe it was just coincidence. I'm not sure there's any resulting noticeable difference in the buns (still delicious!)... it just makes me curious.

[gnatharobed]

Another tasty meal at A&J. Nick and I don't share well, so we both got our own fried chicken noodle soup and braised eggs. (actually, we usually *do* share well— just not fried chicken, burratta, tomatoes, or eggs!)

We also split an order of steamed pork buns. I've noticed that the buns are now steamed on slices of carrot, rather than lettuce. I first noticed the change during the monkey county water problem, which made sense; can't wash the lettuce, really, except in boiling water, where it really wouldn't stand up. A carrot briefly boiled, though, is still pretty sturdy. But this seems to have continued, so maybe it was just coincidence. I'm not sure there's any resulting noticeable difference in the buns (still delicious!)... it just makes me curious.

I asked the management (my parents) and the change to carrots was made to improve presentation, add color to the plate, and provide a more even surface than the chinese cabbage previously used. Glad you still like the buns! Thanks for the feedback.

[turbogrrl]

Lunch to help me face the day: coffee boba, sesame sandwich with pork, vegetarian delight, mushrooms and tofu, AND pork buns.

so what if i was late to work?

[baczkowski]

The great unexplained mysteries of my life: Will I ever find my beloved but hole-ridden blanket that mysteriously "disappeared" when I was 6? How exactly DID my grandmother make those amazing plum pierogies and that flaky nut bread? How did my wife find the patience to not just marry me but continue loving me unconditionally? And how the fuck did Rocks manage to stuff his face with $42 worth of A&J food? Some mysteries will never be solved.

Pax,

Brian

[deangold]

I had the beef & tendon noodle soup. I don't think that enough is said about their homemade "thick" noodles. Incredible! About halfway thru the giant serving, I add a good dose of vinegar to lighten up the broth. The seaweed salad and spicy cukes were even better than usual today. $12.70 before tip!

*Burp!*

[DanielK]

The kids and I ate there on Monday, and had probably the best meal there I'd had in a while. Which is to say we had an A+ visit, instead of B+ or A- visits - I've never had a BAD meal there, and we go at least a couple of times every month.

As with Dean's trip a few weeks back, we'd experienced less-than-crispy pot stickers our previous couple of visits, but on Monday they were spectacular. As was the scallion pancake - very crispy. And the xiao long bao - 4 for 4 with broth inside. Fried chicken, a couple of mushroom/tofu/bean curd dishes, the big bowl of wonton soup, and probably another dish or 2 I can't remember. $50 after tax and tip. Nobody can eat $20 worth of food here in one sitting.

[deangold]

And how the fuck did Rocks manage to stuff his face with $42 worth of A&J food? Some mysteries will never be solved.

Allegedly someone can. Or did he leave with 7 bags of takeout?

[DanielK]

Allegedly someone can. Or did he leave with 7 bags of takeout?

Since the listed dishes include 2 soups and 2 bubble teas, I assumed there was at least 1 unnamed dining companion.

[Malawry]

I ate in Annandale this morning after a medical test that required fasting. (I was really, really hungry after that!) The pan-fried pork dumplings had a lot less meat than the ones I'd ordered in the past. They were still good, but I would rather have 6 dumplings with more meat in each one than 8 dumplings with less. The pork and salted radish soup was nice, would be very satisfying on a blustery day with its salty-tart-rich flavors. I always get the spicy cucumber salad, which is sooo refreshing. It's almost worth fasting to get that meal for lunch!

[Soup]

Went to A&J this weekend with the kids. At my favorite resturants, I get into this "rut" of ordering the same things, perhaps not everytime but certainly, I have my favorites. A&J is one of those places. I can say that the TVP, pot stickers, spicy dumplings, scallion cakes were excellent as always. But my son order something we've not had, noodle soup with fried chicken. The noodle and the soup it came in was good but plain. The chicken, which actually came on a separate plate (I'm assume so that it does not get soggy) with a mound of garlicy paste, was just outstanding. Super crispy without beging greasy and certainly well seasoned. Easily the best fried chicken I've had around DC (possible exception of the of the fried chicken served at the last DR picnic). I would highly recommend this dish. I am certain to all the folks on this board who frequent this jem of a restuarant have tried it. I cannot believe I've never gotten this dish in the 4 or 5 years I've been going to this place. So, what other jem I missing?

Soup

BTW, the soup dumplings could be a lot better but hey who cares after the all the other amazing stuff you can order for under $30.

[DanielK]

But my son order something we've not had, noodle soup with fried chicken. The noodle and the soup it came in was good but plain. The chicken, which actually came on a separate plate (I'm assume so that it does not get soggy) with a mound of garlicy paste, was just outstanding. Super crispy without beging greasy and certainly well seasoned. Easily the best fried chicken I've had around DC (possible exception of the of the fried chicken served at the last DR picnic).

You can get that fried chicken on a plate with rice instead of with the noodle soup. That's one of our go-to dishes.

[Genevieve]

I'm used to Hong Kong style dim sum, but after reading all the raves here, I have to try A&J. Does A&J have something like a turnip cake?

Also, is it possible to do a party at A&J, perhaps in an off hour like from 3 to 5? Could we, perhaps, have screens separating us from the rest of the room? A friend had a party at Peking Gourmet where they did that, and it worked just as well as having a private room would have. We're planning a party for about 40 people, and would like to have it in Annandale so those who want can go to karaoke after (Cafe U&I looked good for karaoke).

Thanks!

[ScotteeM]

We're planning a party for about 40 people, and would like to have it in Annandale so those who want can go to karaoke after (Cafe U&I looked good for karaoke).

I'm not sure that the whole restaurant seats 40 people! But they do carry-out.

As for turnip cake, I've never had this, but the menu lists #4110 as "Turnip (Daicon) Pastry" ("Luo Bo Si Su Bin").

[PollyG]

I think A&J is too small for what you are planning. We love A&J and are there at least once a month, but it is not dim sum as most people think of dim sum. It is small plates, no carts, and no seafood. This is Northern Chinese, from the wheat-growing inland regions, so it is more noodle than rice. Many of the most delicious dishes are probably too "strange" for a 40 person gathering, particularly if they're not all food adventurers. Let's put it this way: our parents, who are well-traveled and fans of Hong Kong style dim sum, aren't thrilled with A&J.

Try a scouting trip and be sure to order:

pan fried pork dumplings (8 to an order)

won tons in spicy sauce

beef and pickled long bean

cucumber salad

There is no plain sliced pan-fried turnip cake--the turnip pastry is in flaky dough if I remember correctly.

[Ericandblueboy]

As for turnip cake, I've never had this, but the menu lists #4110 as "Turnip (Daicon) Pastry" ("Luo Bo Si Su Bin").

That is a turnip filled pastry, not the turnip cake that one is used to get at dim sum. FWIW, we only refer to the Cantonese brunch as dim sum.

[Antonio Burrell]

Went tonight to the Rockville branch. Had pork dumplings, beef dumplings, steam dumplings, short ribs in rice powder, cuke salad, pickled cabbage, smoked chicken, steamed pork hock and pork chop on rice....oh and scallion pancake. Everything was delicious as usual, however the pork hock was simply transcendent. It was seasoned with the usual flavors (star anise, ginger etc) but besides the wonderful gelatinous texture of the skin, the tender meat, the most wonderful part was the bowl of steaming liquid that it is served in. It is full of the flavors of the spices yet is perfectly clear, belying the fact that it is, when mixed with the shredded meat and skin from the hock, the most ethereal expression of pork I have ever enjoyed in soup form. The stock was sooooo full of gelatin that it literally made my lips and fingers stick together and napkin scraps to adhere to my fingers as it dried. The beef dumpling is as enjoyable as ever, full of hot soupy gushing goodness. What a great meal

[porcupine]

Went tonight to the Rockville branch.

Say hi next time.

[gnatharobed]

I'm used to Hong Kong style dim sum, but after reading all the raves here, I have to try A&J. Does A&J have something like a turnip cake?

Also, is it possible to do a party at A&J, perhaps in an off hour like from 3 to 5? Could we, perhaps, have screens separating us from the rest of the room? A friend had a party at Peking Gourmet where they did that, and it worked just as well as having a private room would have. We're planning a party for about 40 people, and would like to have it in Annandale so those who want can go to karaoke after (Cafe U&I looked good for karaoke).

Thanks!

Genevieve, My family owns A&J so please PM me and we can try to make the logistics work if you want to have your party here. Thanks.

[Sundae in the Park]

How's the bubble tea at A&J? Anybody had it recently? I've had a few bad ones lately (not around here), so would like a sure thing next time I give in to a craving...

Thanks!

[porcupine]

How's the bubble tea at A&J? Anybody had it recently? I've had a few bad ones lately (not around here), so would like a sure thing next time I give in to a craving...

Thanks!

Usually pretty good. Be sure to compare with a bubble tea from Ten Ren while you're at it. (there's a bubble tea thread around here somewhere...)

[DonRocks]

How's the bubble tea at A&J? Anybody had it recently? I've had a few bad ones lately (not around here), so would like a sure thing next time I give in to a craving...

Thanks!

I vaguely recall gnatharobed telling me they make (or at least boil?) their own bubbles.

I sort of like the melon.

[JLK]

I made my first visit to A&J today and thanks to a business partner who works in Frederick, I'm hoping to get there more frequently in the future. Yum. If A&J had a Chinatown location, I would be a combination of really happy and really fat because pot stickers are easily among my top 5 favorite foods. Fortunately my lunch companion also loves dumpling-like foods so in addition to the pork pot stickers, we had steamed beef dumplings (good, but totally outshone by the deliciousness of the fried pork pot stickers). We also had scallion pancakes and steamed spare ribs. When we ordered the ribs, our sweet and friendly server expressed concern that we wouldn't like them. I figured she meant because they were marked spicy, but then she clarified that the meant the five spice rice powder coating which, incidentally, we loved. We polished it all off and received a bill for $17 and change. Amazing value.

* In the interest of full disclosure, gnatharobed and I have become friends thanks to this wonderful site and I went to my lunch today armed with her terrific suggestions.

[ulrath]

How's the bubble tea at A&J? Anybody had it recently? I've had a few bad ones lately (not around here), so would like a sure thing next time I give in to a craving...

Thanks!

We've tried a few of the varieties. We like the honeydew the best.