Desserts have been developed to include wondrous bitter chocolate terrine, pear flan with ginger, fine-grained sherbets of exotic fruits. AE, MC, V. Reservations suggested. Children's prices. The menu lists 20 dishes, many of them similar to one another, and all with the large, pale fermented pancakes that serve as platters and silverware for Ethiopian dining. Parking lot. Full bar service.Children's prices. L, D daily. Finish with nut-filled, cigar-shaped filo pastries and tiny cups of thick coffee. Mall parking.Full bar service. Street parking. Peking Palace 7944 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. Try it for dim sum; the list is long and a few of the options -- crisp crab boxes, steamed shrimp and pork dumplings, several kinds of chow foon -- are excellent. L $3.25-$8.95, D $5.95-$11.95. Arabian Nights 2915 Connecticut Ave. NW. 659-5882. Enriqueta's menu has its ups and downs, but always offers a wealth of choices. L $3.50-$3.95, D $4.95-$6.95. One evening the staff was as nice as it could be, but few of the menu items were in stock, and those that were looked grim and tasted no better. No credit cards. The Chinese food is attractive and well-prepared, though it tends to be bland and oversauced. Main courses range from boiled beef (dry and grim) to a platter of smoked meats with sauerkraut and dumplings, and certainly you should try the sauerkraut and dumplings, even if the latter are a bit pasty. The liver pate is smooth and subtly peppered. Vernon if not by car? 836-8404. Lately, a filet of salmon under a creamy tangle of shredded leeks was simply delicious. In its second year, this lively bright, casual French restaurant is erratic but worth consideration. Full bar service. Open daily. Full bar service. Dealing with sleazy salespeople is so 1980's. This is a big reason why people love dealing with Tesla, they have a fixed price, no sleaze, no . L $2.25-$9.95, D $5.75-$14.75. Even with a couple of days to craft a response, Khalsa's camp delivered a statement inconsistent with his plea. And, for dessert, strawberry shortcake is unusual and creamy. 881-3360. L $3.45-$6.95, D $8.45-$13.95. Children's prices. L daily ex Sat, D daily. AE, MC, V. Reservations accepted for five or more. Children's prices. 546-4488. Street parking. Apple Tree 1220 19th St. NW. Parking in front. 258-0405. No reservations. L $2.95-$6.95, D $6.50-$11.95. Full bar service. Full bar service. Full bar service. If Washingtonians ever kicked the habit of automatically thinking French when they want a special evening, Omar Khayyam would be overrun. Ae, mc, v. Reservations suggested. not just since the 1980s when the word became common." . Fox's Pizza Den. N reservations. Children's prices. MC, V. Reservations required for parties of five or more. 532-9290. Whatever may go wrong, at the Pines of Rome the price is right. And the attention in the kitchen is no less than in the dining room. L $3.95-$6.75, D $3.95-$12.50. Full bar seravice. Saigon Inn 6922-A Braddock Rd., Annandale. Full bar service. Order small bowls of stewed chicken, lamb or beef, either mildly spiced with cumin, cinnamon and the like, or hotly peppered with red pepper paste; spoon mounds of the meats and side dishes of braised cabbage and green beans and carrots in between, then start tearing and scooping. Trout or red snapper are afloat in nutty clarified butter with almonds, mushrooms, onions, ripe tomatoes and coconut milk, garnished with crisp green broccoli.Neither meats nor vegetables are overcooked. The food, too, remains authentic and straightforward, with a few especially good dishes. Timberlake's 1726 Connecticut Ave. NW. Sauces are lighter, dishes imaginatively arranged, flavors more pronounced with the use of fresh herbs. L $4.50-$8.85, D $9.75-$15.75. Closed Sun. Aux Beaux Champs 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. No credit cards. Blaise Gherardi de Parata (1909-1978), a native of Corsica, had come to the United States in 1949 and opened Rive Gauche in 1956. Open daily. Valet parking. No-smoking section. 548-8688. MC, V. No reservations. Full bar service. 232-4768. K $3.95-$6.55. Children's prices. You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in . Geppetto 2917 M St. NW. U Street Corridor. Closed Sun. Free parking in adjacent lot after 5:30 p.m. Beer and wine only. Children's prices. L $3.95-$4.50, D $4.25-$8.95. AE, MC, V. One hour free parking, Washington; mall parking lot, Falls Church. Bacchus 1827 Jefferson Pl. 19. The old faithful dishes are still excellent; sups and the creamy crabmeat veronique as appetizers. Reservations accepted. 276. L daily, D daily ex Sat, Sun. L daily ex Sat, D daily. L, D daily. L daily ex Sat, D daily. elan 2020 K St. NW. The two homemade sausages tasted worn out. I am guessing it was some sort of steak house, it had big white pillars or columns outside, a two story dining room (I . It promotes a salad bar at dinner -- a good one, with the same old wonderful sesame-lemon and yogurt-herb dressings -- plus a potato bar that is an insult of overcooked potato and soupy, sloppy sauces. Indulge in the Best Restaurants in D.C. Closed Mon. Like a small museum of Japanese arts, Samurai Sushiko covers its menus in luscious silks and its bench cushions in stunning geometric fabrics. O'Brien's Pit Barbecue 1314 E Gude Dr., Rockville. Chardas 523 South 23rd St., Arlington. MC, V. Reservations suggested.Parking next to building. American Cafe 1211 Wisconsin Ave. NW. And any Formica luncheonette where you wait in line to pay $11.50 for flounder stuffed with crabmeat is bound to be good. Over the years, it has moved to a few different locations in the downtown area. Closed Sun. Ae, cb, d, mc, V. Reservations suggested.Parking lot. D $12.95-$15.65. Closed Sun. D $6.50-$14.95. The Georgetown branch is cluttered with tile tables in the garden-bright dining room. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. It is, however, the special of the day that is the knockout buy. Children's prices. Tom Sarris Orleans House. 265-7233. Quick, wholesome All-American food could not be a better bargain than at Sholl's. Open daily. 524-2512. One introduction to this white-washed, beamed and timbered inn is a good look at the impressive kitchen cadre through a front window. L $3.50-$6.50, D $4.25-$12.50. Full bar service. 596-6500. Nothing changes at Mama Ayesha's Calvert Cafe, not the 10-entree Arabic menu that averages $5, not the dashing corps of waiters, not the unadorned dining rooms, not the Arabic background music, not Mama Ayesha herself greeting the world from her rear booth. Full bar service. Fried clams are lightly breaded and superbly juicy. Split a half-order of onion rings. The french fries have that nearly sweet taste of perfectly fried potatoes, the cole-slaw is fine. 244-5933. W., Wheaton. A star on the menu is la bourride, a creamy, potent fish soup under a puff pastry crust. 871-8554. 347-7100. The Inn at Little Washington Washington, Va. 703/675-3800. No-smoking section. 439-5500. Open daily. It is just an enormous old apartment house coffee shop with travel posters and vinyl tablecloths, but Fio's has real southern Italian cooking at coffee-shop prices. L $2.25-$3.95, D $3.25-$7.95. 337-3600. 457-0057. Full bar service. Armand's Chicago Pizzeria 4231 Wisconsin Ave. NW. L, D daily. Beefsteak Charlie's was a well-known restaurant chain based in the New York metropolitan area, which grew to over 60 locations in the early 1980s. No-smoking section. French restaurants in the middle range -- those with good food that make no attempt at grand cuisine and are modest in price -- are a shifting scene, one year satisfying and another year indiffent. Full bar service. L daily ex Sun, D daily. And the service is personable, casual. Children's prices. "Yummy and I hope healthy lentil quinoa burger with cheddar, mushrooms etc. 362-8200. 986-0707. But it emphasizes light suppers for after the theater. It is contemporary and gregarious, the menu running the usual gamut of burgers and salads, plus a long page of entrees -- steak, omelets, quiches, shrimp. Except for the salad bar, the Golden Temple is a textbook case of a very good restaurant being allowed slip into ruin. L $3.25-$7.50, D $5.95-$10.50. The Sunset does not get so intense as to peel its own potatoes or bake its own pies, but it serves homemade food, up to a point. Its culinary assets are highly peppered and faintly sweet cha gio (spring rolls) and crab farci, which is the same crab-pork filling in larger measure, without the rice-paper crust. Closed Sun. No-smoking section. The food, however, remains best for a snack or light meal, Mexican food that is standard quality, or at least sinks to standard in its reheating a lunchtime. 6710 Commerce St., Springfield. Open daily. China Garden 1901 N. Moore St., Rosslyn. Full bar service. Open daily. Szechuan & Hunan 1776 E. Jefferson St., Rockville. L $1.75-$5.25, D $1.95-$6.95. Full bar service. 337-0730. L, D daily. L daily, D daily ex Sun. For dessert -- have something. Lang Lin 1331 University Blvd. L $3.95-$5.25, D $5.50-$11.95. Full bar service. No-smoking section. 462-8771. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations suggested. L $2.95-$5.75, D $5.45-12.50. Visit 1789. Street parking. Children's prices. Children's prices. Add to your plastic plate the homemade but not sensational potato salad and coleslaw, inconsequential baked beans of "texas toast." Full bar service. The deep-fried chicken had less crabmeat stuffing. L $8.25-$11.95, D $11.75-$17.50. Kings Landing 121 S. Union St., Alexandria. Closed Sun. Children's prices. Street parking or adjacent garage. Siam Inn 11407 Amherst Ave., Wheaton. D daily. 652-1700. 337-2436. The barbecued ribs are lean, meaty and deep-smoked. Beer and wine only. Open daily. L $2.50-$3.25, D $7.50-$9. Valet parking. The decade was the gateway to the present in many ways. L daily ex Sun, D daily. Old Ebbitt Grill. Parking lot. 2 / 30. One of D.C.'s ultimate dive bars, The Raven has been tucked away in Mount Pleasant since 1935. "Their clam chowder is amazing and the OEG Burger is great for lunch.". Children's meals. Maison Blanche 1725 F St. NW. L daily, D daily ex Sat. But I found no dish that meets any desire. Open daily. Full bar service. Washington D.C. Shamrock Stroll (March 18) History Tour Pub Crawl of Washington, D.C. Visit the Embassy of Ireland; Explore St. Patrick's Catholic Church in D.C. Eat out at an Irish pub The Dubliner; Duffy's Irish Pub; Kelly's Irish Times; Kirwan's on the Wharf; 17. 466-5840. Reservations accepted for dinner only. L $2.95-$6.50, D $6.45-$8.95. L, D $4-$10. Figaro's Pizza. The Big Cheese has, at its best, stood still and raised its prices while more sophisticated newcomers are serving better at lower prices. 223-2420. At lunch, a noisy bustle accompanies plats du jour -- a two-week cycle of menus plus daily specials -- with carafes of wine. 244-1100. The daily specials are usually the best dishes to order, for they use the season's first basil for pesto and the freshest fish for cold marinated appetizers, and on occasion offer inventions like the quail with fruit and sage stuffing and mushroom sauce. Vegetables (which do not, by the way, accompany the shrimp) are also good, whether fresh green beans or potato baked with a sprinkle of salt and no foil wrapper. And include something from the charcoal grill: shrimp sates, lemon grass spareribs, Korean-style short ribs. L daily ex Sat, D daily. Publick House 3218 M St., NW. 893-3390. Valet parking for dinner. L $3-$5.50, D $3.75-$11.50. Reservations accepted. AE, MC, V. No reservations. AE, CB, D, MC, V. Reservations accepted. Full bar service. L, D $6.75-$14.75. L, D $1.25-$8. AE, MC, V. Reservations accepted. Full bar service. Parking in adjacent lot. The specials sound intriguing -- chicken with black bean sauce, for instance -- but each year the care in preparing all but the dim sum has slipped a little. But do stay for a fat, glistening berry tart or creamy walnut cake or chocolate roll.