We ate dinner at Mark’s Duck House in Falls Church, Virginia on Saturday night with our friends, “Steve” and “Peggy” (names changed to protect their identities.) This is an authentic Chinese restaurant, and they are known for their Peking Duck. It’s tucked away in the corner of strip mall off of Route 50, in between a Bolivian bakery and a Vietnamese Pho restaurant. The dining room was filled with Chinese people, always a good sign.
We started with Hot and Sour Soup, which was brought to the table in a big bowl and served individually at the table. It had a thick, flavorful broth, and plenty of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and pork. It was an excellent start to the meal.
As we ate our soup, the waiter walked by our table and showed us “our duck”, shiny and red, selected from the hangers in the front window of the restaurant, with its head still on. A few minutes later, the waiter was back with the duck, only now it was sliced and displayed on a platter. He prepared the duck for us in thin pancakes with plum sauce and scallions. It was AMAZING. The skin was crispy, the meat was rich and succulent, and the juices dripped from our fingers as we ate. Everyone at the table agreed, this was by far the best duck we had ever tasted. I could have eaten quite a few more pancake wraps, but we had more food coming.
Next the waiter brought us the combination fried rice and the orange beef—both are traditional Americanized Chinese dishes, and both were done exceptionally well.
We had ordered the razor clams with garlic and black bean sauce (I saw razor clams on Anthony Bourdain’s Ireland episode and have been dying to try them ever since), but we were informed by the waiter that they were out of razor clams. They substituted the razor clams with regular clams, and the dish did not disappoint. The sauce was salty and rich, and I found complete garlic cloves mixed in with the clams. The clams were perfect—not too chewy, not dirty.
We shared two bottles of 2004 Erbacher Honigberg Riesling from Germany (only $20 a bottle! what a steal!) The crispness of the wine complimented the duck especially well.
I think Mark’s is one of my new favorite restaurants—if I lived closer to it, you can bet that I would order take-out at least once a week. The true reason to go is for the duck. And make sure that you have a reservation, otherwise you might be waiting in the small, drafty lobby, staring longingly at the ducks hanging in the windows.
Comments 4
their dim sum is delicious too!
Posted 21 Jan 2007 at 11:51 pm ¶You two are the BEST foodies ever! This was a great review and big merci for the photos. Mouth watering descriptions!
Posted 24 Jan 2007 at 12:25 am ¶Good to hear, actually. I live down the street from Falls Church and since I’ve been back in the states I’ve made a weekly pilgrimage to the Eden Center for authentic Vietnamese Pho. I’ve for the most part given up on good Chinese food in the Washington metro area. I grew up eating a lot of authentic dishes and other than my favorite dim sum place up in Rockville, I always feel disappointed by the fare offered in most restaurants. I’ve heard mixed things about Mark’s, but you’ve made me at least want to try them out. I hear the place is kind of divey - I’m hoping that bears well for cheap prices :o).
Posted 25 Jan 2007 at 12:37 pm ¶Yes, you should give it a try, Michaela! It certainly isn’t going to win any awards for its decor, and it is in a strip mall, so yes, it’s a bit divey. But I think that sometimes the divey-est places have some of the best food, and they’re usually unprentious too! I found the service to be great at Mark’s as well.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Eden Center; I’m hoping we can try it sometime soon.
Oh, and I should probably mention that it was Richard who turned us on to Mark’s Duck House. So if you end up hating it, you can blame him!
Posted 25 Jan 2007 at 6:54 pm ¶