the thai grocery store that ledervin is talking about sounds like the one in wheaton. there's another one in silver spring on thayer ave, same street as negril. it's across from safeway. i go to this one alot, good comfort food for the money but definitely a dive/takeout/eat on styroform plates place. try the basil chicken, you get a huge tupperware takeout of it for 4.95, or get the combo plate.. 3 dishes for 5.95 i think along with rice. also the pork satay at .95 is sooo yummy!! bad thing is that they close early.. i think around 7pm. there's also bombay gaylord on georgia, right before you turn into negril. this used to be on the cheap eats list a while back.. '99 or '00. it's good, but not anything to shout about. the major difference with this place and others is that everything is MILD. they don't serve anything spicy here! i'm no fire eater, but i asked for a side of hot chilis to add to my dish and they said they didn't have any! :p further up the street is lagano ethiopian restaurant. again this is so so, but i was never a big fan of ethiopian anyway. the signs said they were open til 2 am on weekends when they first opened, but i'm not so sure now. i'm continuously amazed at how many ppl mi rancho piles in on a nightly basis. i can see it from my window, and it's ALWAYS packed! i didn't think it was SOOPER good, (the shrimp soup they serve on weekends is delightfuls tho) and the avocado salad is a rip off if you takeout, but all in all it falls below cactus cantina fairly above a tex mex chain. oriental east is one of the best HK style dim sum in the area on the weekends. from 11 to 3. be prepared for at least a 30 min wait. lines form before it opens. this in the blair apartments complex where giant, cvs, and caribbou coffee is on east west highway. for dinner, stick with the chinese menu. all of these sans mi rancho and the new oriental east location are rather divey. cubano's (right across from mi rancho) is the best looking (cute but cramped on the inside, nice and cozy for a date, but maybe too loud) in the entire area that i've seen so far, and i've nothing but complaints with tastee dinner. (slow service, terrible diner food.) the only good thing being that it's open 247. :p oh i like carolina kitchen takeout for a hearty soul foodish fare. (this means salt and grease and all that's bad for you. mmmmm, try the jerk chicken and the mashed potatoes!) this is on georgia, built on the side of twin towers apartments. i've eaten at both crisfield's and absolutely have NO idea what the big fuss is about. i thought both were terrible, and i got food poisoning at the one on georgia! :p (clam chowder)
