Rien Tong, Pan-Asian at the Clarendon Metro - in the Former Hope Key Space

[cheezepowder]

I wish I were the arbiter elegantiarum because I would bring back Hope Key and other smaller business that have been forced out becuase of the crippling rents. The only arbiter of what people want in arlingiton is the county gov't which has seen fit to convert the blvd into the big box resturnats from hell. That is unless you like the Cheescake Factory

Have folks tried Rien Tong which is located where Hope Key used to be? Their menu is half Chinese, half Thai food. We've ordered delivery from them a few times, and we've liked the dishes we've tried so far. I don't know that it would be worth a special trip to go there, but seems like a decent delivery/neighborhood place. I had a crispy fish filet with basil and hot peppers that was still crispy when it arrived, and their kung pao tofu is pretty good. The steamed vegetarian dumplings taste similar to the ones that Meiwah has - which means some may like them (like us), some may not. They have a thicker, doughy shell and the filling has thin noodles, egg, and vegetables.

[chazas]

We live nearby and occasionally picked up carryout from this place, but have not done so for several months because we found the quality declining every time. I believe this place started out all Thai, when it was ok, but went downhill rapidly when they added the Chinese dishes (which I suspect resulted from a change in ownership). I last found the Thai food quite crude - I can make better myself. If it's gotten any better, I'd like to hear about it.

[Jason]

I went their once when it opened, when it was still called Rien Thong or whatever, and it was very mediocre. I believe that the owners are Chinese which might account for the Chinese dishes.

[liz2041]

We have been a few times and it is just ok. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to overly complain about. A couple of times we only went because Dehli Club was too crowded. I much prefer the new Sala Thai and Sawatdee down the street. Both are consistent, flavorful and a great value. By the way, what happened to Singh Thai? Did it just change names or owners?

[DonRocks]

This article came out last year - does anyone know what happened? (I guess I can move any discussion about it into its own thread, but since Rien Tong was cited, I'll start out with it here.)

"County Still Reviewing Sky-High Real Estate Assessments" on arlnow.com