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Ghin Na Ree, Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, Arlington


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After my lunch plans fell through today I decided to finally try this venerable eatery.

I walked in around 1:45, the place was deserted. I told the guy I wanted to order some takeout and started perusing the takeout menu. He came over and tried to direct me to the lunch specials. I said "No, I don't want that." Soon he came back over to me and said, "You want to order something else? She [the cook, i guess] can't make anything else now."

That leads me to believe they have eight vats, each containing one of the lunch special entrees. Has anyone else ever heard of an asian, or any other kind of, restaurant that serves ONLY its lunch specials during lunch hours? :unsure:

I took a takeout menu but I won't be using it. Sorry Charlie, it's one and done for you. What a bizarre experience.

That allowed me to try Taqueria El Poblano: good, but a little pricy for take-out tacos. I'd go back and eat there. I also tried Mother's Macaroons across the street, next to the Secret Safeway. The mocha macaroon was delicious; the orange macaroon didn't have much orange flavor, but was still a good macaroon.

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I live in that neighborhood, but have never tried the place. Pronouncing the name always sounded too much like "gonorrhea" to me, and needless to say that turned me off.

If you're looking for a good, cheap lunch spot in that neighborhood, I'd recommend either Caribbean Grill (rotisserie chicken, cuban sandwiches, etc.) at the corner of Lee Highway and George Mason, or Heidelberg Bakery (great baked goods, Boars Head meats) a little farther east on Lee.

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Yeah, both good choices. I've worked in Falls Church (just over the line) for 14 years so I know both of those places well. Caribbean Grill has OUTSTANDING side dishes -- their yuca is superb, and their plantains melt in your mouth. While their chicken is very good, I've often just gotten side dishes for lunch.

This was actually my first time trying any of the eateries in Lee-Harrison (other than Dogma for my pups). Pietanza looks interesting too, but also a bit pricy. Then there's Sushi-Zen. Any 411 on either of those? I'm guessing "Oriental Gourmet" is as bad as you'd expect from the name?

Sushi_zen is not that good, IMO. Surprisingly, Oriental Gourmet is not that bad for typical American-Chinese. It is our "go-to" Chinese food joint when we need the mu-shi pork, sweet and sour whatever, General Tso's, etc, etc..... If you want some decent Salvadorean food there is Las Palmeiras Dos, on Lee Highway, across from Prestons Pharmacy. It is pretty cheap (if you get pupusas, tamales) and definitely filling. Not great, but certainly not bad.

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(deep breath, jumps into the pool - will the others play with me?)

Hi all,

While I lived in the area, I was a frequenter of the Ghin Na Ree (or, as I call it, "Tiny Thai") lunch special, and as far as I could tell, the mom-chef always prepared the meal to order. As Tyler Cowen says, it's a genuine mom and pop, with only their children for additional staffing, so I think the reasoning behind the limited lunch menu is so there are less ingredients to prep in the morning. That said, regardless of kitchen size, I haven't really had any experiences at other eateries with such limited, time-sensitive menus.

As far as the food goes, the spicing it quite mild, unless you ask for it to be otherwise. Also, they don't really trust you with the "spice kit" until you're a regular, or look authentically Thai. The flavors are kind of "dark" and heavy, a lot of tamarind, fish/soy? sauce, and oil, but I like it. There's better Thai in Arlington, but for that part of town, it's a convenient (and cheap!) place to get lunch - as long as you want something off the lunch menu.

Oh, and I have heard that the service can be a bit...brusque. I guess it pays to be a regular!

As for other offerings in the area, yes, yes, and YES! to Taqueria el Poblano, Caribbean Grill, and the Heidelberg Bakery. About a mile further south?(towards DC) on Lee Highway are the "awning shops," which feature Crisp & Juicy (more rotisserie chicken), Rudolph's (bread + pastries only, no sandwiches), Cafe Parisien (sidewalkish French fare), and the little fish shop in the parking lot (GREAT sandwiches).

I ate so well when I lived in Arlington...

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I live in that neighborhood, but have never tried the place. Pronouncing the name always sounded too much like "gonorrhea" to me, and needless to say that turned me off.

If you're looking for a good, cheap lunch spot in that neighborhood, I'd recommend either Caribbean Grill (rotisserie chicken, cuban sandwiches, etc.) at the corner of Lee Highway and George Mason, or Heidelberg Bakery (great baked goods, Boars Head meats) a little farther east on Lee.

And just a little further, where 29 and old lee split, crisp and juicy has the best chicken that side of ballston. Never cared much for carribean's chicken relative to other choices but they do make a good cuban.

Yeah, both good choices. I've worked in Falls Church (just over the line) for 14 years so I know both of those places well. Caribbean Grill has OUTSTANDING side dishes -- their yuca is superb, and their plantains melt in your mouth. While their chicken is very good, I've often just gotten side dishes for lunch.

This was actually my first time trying any of the eateries in Lee-Harrison (other than Dogma for my pups). Pietanza looks interesting too, but also a bit pricy. Then there's Sushi-Zen. Any 411 on either of those? I'm guessing "Oriental Gourmet" is as bad as you'd expect from the name?

Pietanza is a solid, brick oven pizza place. A good lunch spot. Go less is more on the toppings and stick to their specials.

Zen is highly americanized sushi; big servings and approachable rolls. Service can be horrid (slow, oblivous) but it's good (not great) sushi at decent prices.

Most places in that center are primarily attractive as kid friendly establishments. None are worth a special trip for.

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Last night I had Ginataan, so I figured tonight I'd go to Ghin Na Ree because the first two syllables are the same, and also for parity, parody, and to pair a tea. Okay, truth check: I wanted to pair a Brunello di Montalcino.

The intimidating-sounding Ma Kea Yao Pad Ka Prow ($8.95) is a stir-fried ("Pad") dish of what used to be Thai eggplant ("Ma Kea Yao") and Thai basil ("Ka Prow"), that is offered with either beef or pork, and prepared with a lilt of hot pepper. The new menu lists it as "Pad Gra Prow Eggplant," but it's the same thing, except that they now use the eggplant we're used to, which is perfectly fine in its own right, albeit very out of season.

I got it with beef, and banked on them serving it low-to-medium heat, and I was right, happily so.

Say what you want about Gewurztraminer or Muscat; I had this dish with a 2001 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino and it was a great wine pairing, the thin, beef-rich sauce picking up on the generous portion of beef in the dish, and the eggplant going straight after the beautiful seemingly partially malic acid remaining in the 2001 vintage of this lovely wine. The only problem is that the Infanticide Squad of the Wine Police has put out an APB for my arrest and a bounty on my head.

Still ... this mildly hot, acidic Thai dish with beef, is every bit the accompaniment with a good, youngish Brunello, as it is with a bowl of conchiglie slathered in too much - joyously too much - spicy meat sauce alongside a ciabatta. Definitely not as "classic," but it works, it really does.

Ghin Na Ree has been around since I can remember, surely ten years, perhaps a good bit longer. It's owned by a single family who works hard and produces an honest product. Tyler Cohen's description is accurate, if a bit terse. A summary is here:

A classic mom and pop. They even let the small child have one of the tables for her toys and crayons. Charming decor, and one of the most authentic Thai places around. Is this the best Thai place in the area? No. Is it worth going anyway? Yes. Spicy.

A mildly hot, acidic Thai dish with beef, served from a neighborhood Thai carryout, coupled with a good, youngish Brunello? A Brunello that drives up the cost of the meal by several multiples? Ah yes, my friends, and it works well. If this dish were spiced more aggressively, it would have killed the wine and required something else, but it wasn't, and so it didn't.

I respect and like Ghin Na Ree, and am thankful that it's in our city's lexicon of good, neighborhood Thai restaurants. Locally, it's a small step behind Thai Noy, a few big steps behind standard-bearer Thai Square, and is a perfectly good example of strip-mall ethnic.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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I dropped by after a long absence and got my usual - the mom's pad thai, which she loads up with chicken and vegetables and leaves of the scallions - just for me - all without asking. I get my usual scoldings, "What! Still not married!" and hugs (I'm not technically friends or family, just a long-time customer) and head back out into the cold, stuffed to the gills with several kinds of warmth.

The tiny dining room was packed for lunch, which I was very glad to see. I think their amazing lunch special (cup of soup, spring roll, and entree for ~$7) is quite a draw!

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