Peter Chang
Located in the Lee Harrison Shopping Center along with a few other places on this list, this was chef Peter Chang’s first permanent location in the DMV. (Read our review here.) Those who had closely followed the former Chinese embassy chef’s abrupt migration up and down the Eastern seaboard were thrilled to finally have a reliable hook-up for his most famous dishes — scallion bubble pancakes (which are more bubble than pancake), spicy dry-fried eggplant and cumin-scented bamboo flounder among them. Chili pepper fans will love the kitchen’s deft use of spice, including the tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorn. But if you can’t take the heat, beware of anything marked on the menu as being spicy. They aren’t kidding.
2503-E N. Harrison St., Arlington, peterchangarlington.com
Cassatt’s
This New Zealand-inspired cafe in the Lee Heights Shops pulls in crowds for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch with its casual, well-executed fare. New Zealand transplants might want to zero in on the Kiwi-style meat and veggie pies, the samosa mussels, a pavlova for dessert and the extensive selection of wines that hail from that region. Others will revel in trying something new, such as the flat white (an espresso drink), or sticking with old reliables such as a grilled coulotte steak, a breakfast quesadilla or a BLT. Given that this neighborly spot is named for the artist Mary Cassatt, it should be no surprise that local artwork for sale lines the walls.
4536 Lee Highway, Arlington, cassattscafe.com