washingtonpost.com: Peking Gourmet Inn

 

6029-6033 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Va. (703) 671-8088 Hours of Operation and Prices Lunch: Daily 11-3; Entrees: $5.45-$19.45 Dinner: Sun-Th 3-10, F-Sat 3-midnight; Entrees: $7.45-$30 Other Information • Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa • Dress: Casual • Reservations: Recommended on weekends • Parking: Free lot • Handicapped accessible

Did success spoil the Peking Gourmet Inn? This was once one of the best Chinese restaurants in Virginia, and in the Bush administration it was in the spotlight as a favorite presidential retreat. Now it seems like a standard pack-em-in-and-feed-em-quick Chinese restaurant, even if it does still grow its own Chinese leeks and feature them in several dishes.

Two dishes still show what this restaurant used to be. Salt-baked shrimp are large and juicy, crisped in a hot pan with lots of garlic. String beans with pork and chili are lightly cooked and strongly seasoned, just as they should be. Crispy beef with sesame seeds is still crunchy, but it is all sweet and no heat. The saddest change is that Peking Gourmet chicken, which once was glorious, is now soggy and gluey. The skin on the Peking duck is crisp and fat-free, but the meat is dry and overcooked. Even the dumplings are thick and gummy, and it's hard to find a dumpling that isn't lovable.

Yet the Peking Gourmet Inn has weathered decades, expansion, fame and loss of fame. I wouldn't be surprised if it got itself back in shape again.

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

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