Far East, The Wong Family's Americanized Chinese on Nicholson Lane in Rockville - Specializing in Banquets

[pras]

Far East in Rockville (website) has been around for probably close to if not more than 40 years.  It serves a mostly Americanized menu, but it does a good job at what it does.  It is the classic Chinese restaurant of old where if you take a sip of water someone arrives out of no where to refill it.

While I haven't eaten here in a while, this post is more than a review of a restaurant (my tastes have shifted and I am more interested in eating purely authentic food).  They have a space upstairs which is suitable for banquets (website says 20-225 people).

(some of the foregoing is based upon my dad's stories as I am too young to remember)  When the Wong family moved to America in the 70's they lived 2 houses from my parents in Silver Spring.  When they set out to open their restaurant, they used North China as their template.  They started with a smaller store-front spot next to their current larger free-standing location.  I think for the time it was very well received as dinning out of the house provided few options.

When talking about Far East my parents always re-tell a story.  My dad helped them fix something at their house, and Mr. Wong asked what they could do to repay my dad.  My dad being my dad, he said "cook us a meal"-much to my mom's embarrassment.   Mr. Wong insisted.  The chef was sent to the store with my mom to buy meat.  The chef insisted on whole chicken.  When they got back to my parent's house, he quickly dispatched the chicken into several parts.  My dad kept a huge vegetable garden in the back yard.  The chef had his pick of fresh vegetables and made an amazing meal.  (I wish I was old enough to remember).

More often than not, we would order carry out.  My dad was fond of their seafood hot-pot soup (no longer on the menu).  Although the soup was not available for takeout, we would bring my mom's largest stock pot and they would fill it to the top.  At our request, they would include sea cucumber to the bounty which was certainly beyond exotic at the time.

Another story (one which I remember vividly) involved the Wongs and my grandparents.  Growing up I was truly blessed to live around the corner from my grandparents.  While my parents had a couple of houses separating them from the Wongs, my grandparents shared a back yard.  The Wongs imported some sort of Chinese peach tree and planted it on the property line with my grandparents.  This tree did not bear fruit, but the Wongs would pick the leaves and pickle them.  Even once they moved, they would come back every year and collect the leaves by the trash bag full.  My grandparents hated this tree.  Although it provided a bounty for the Wongs, it left leaves on their lawn in the fall.  As it grew, its roots came into my grandparents yard.  One day when my grandparents had had enough of the tree (long after the Wongs had moved) they had the tree removed.  You would think this would have been the end of it.  This was one suborn tree.  The tree started putting up shoots in their yard.  My grandparents were in their 80's at this point and had a vendetta with this tree.  They would chase it around the yard trying everything they could to get rid of this thing.  I remember going over there one day and saw them digging holes and pouring salt into the ground.  My grandparents finally won, but it has provided a lifetime of memories.

It has been years since our family has shared a meal at Far East, but perhaps it is time to get everyone together again and introduce the next generation.

[DonRocks]

Thank you for this great post, pras. Far East opened in 1974, and has been on our list of Oldest Restaurants in the Washington, DC Area.

The last time I was here was for some couple's wedding. Hmm ... I can't remember who it could be; I just remember this "red silk thing with gold embroidery."

门当户对?

[porcupine]

It's narrative posts like pras' that make this site unique and interesting.  I love when people take time to write more than just the facts, and make it personal.

[Lydia R]

Their website mentions they serve dim sum every day until 3:00 PM.

Has anyone had dim sum from their menu?