Marks Duck House aka MDH

[Anonymouze]

We went to MDH today for late lunch/early supper around 4pm and it was all very good. It was ALMOST up to NY standards in our slightly humble opinion!

We ordered 2 types of steamed dumplings each one was prepared well and tasted fresh no fishy taste or aftertaste. We shared the Duck and the Crispy Prawn dishes and though we'd usually go for more "chinese" fare they were both made very well and we were happy and QUITE full.

I would definitely go here again and again! It's less than 20 minutes from our home in Reston VA though my Magellan sent me a different way than I would have gone, perhaps I would have taken 7 to the area by Syms and then turned off to get there... we got there and home easily. It is located across from the Home Depot/7 Corners shopping area diagonal across from Fortune Restaurant which has been mentioned by locals. We were not aware of a dimsum menu but they did have a large list of hot and cold appetizers - is there a separate dim sum menu or cart at other times,does anyone on Egullet know?Just curious.

Thanks everyone for taking the time out of your day to read this, I hope you can suggest other great restaurants nearby for me by PM or on here! Have a great October 2006 and New Year. - Stacey C.

[pork]

falls church + duck = peking gourmet inn

you must go. peking duck is the specialty. garlic sprouts are another, but really we just order enough duck. LOTS of duck. So good.

http://www.pekinggourmet.com/

oh and going from reston to falls church you're better off taking 267 to 66 and getting off at lee.

Edited October 9, 2006 by pork (log)

[dansch]

falls church + duck = peking gourmet inn

you must go.  peking duck is the specialty.  garlic sprouts are another, but really we just order enough duck.  LOTS of duck.  So good.

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My better half and I just went there a few months ago for the first time (we live south of Charlottesville, so we planned our visit around flying out of Dulles). The duck was fantastic! We also tried the shrimp with garlic sprouts and were completely underwhelmed. We'll definitely be back.

The other thing I would mention is that the portion sizes were obscene. We ordered the duck, the shrimp with garlic sprouts, and sir fried green beans. We knew that three things would be too much for the two of us, but we wanted to try some variety, and also get some sort of vegetable component. It was enough food to feed a *hungry* family of six. Next time we'll either order just a duck, or come with a starving group of compatriots.

Cheers,

-Dan

[pork]

Yeah, in contrast to the duck I suppose the garlic sprouts are kind of underwhelming. I think if it were possible to go there and not order duck, they might shine a little brighter. But it's not.

[The Hersch]

We were not aware of a dimsum menu but they did have a large list of hot and cold appetizers - is there a separate dim sum menu or cart at other times,does anyone on Egullet know?Just curious.

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Mark's Duck House has dim sum on carts every day at lunch time. I guess 4 pm is well past lunch time. You can also order from their two extensive menus and I suppose from the many things posted on the walls. If you have a taste for "roast pig", order it from the menu and not from the dim sum cart, where it mysteriously costs about twice as much.

[Soup]

Unfortunately, I cannot agree. MDH used to be my favorite chinese place around about 5 or 6 years ago. I last went there about 6 months ago and pledged never to go back. I don't find the food as consistant. The resturant is too dirty even for me. When a roach walk across your table as your eating, they probably have a bug problem.

I still am searching for a good dimsum place.

Soup

[The Hersch]

Unfortunately, I cannot agree. 

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I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. Looking up the thread, I see no praise of the dim sum at Mark's Duck House. All the praise seems to be for the Peking Duck at Peking Gourmet. That said, I've had some fairly tasty things off the carts at Mark's, although I haven't been there for dim sum in a couple of years. What I have always liked there are the big bowls of Cantonese soup with noodles and wontons and such. The place is kind of grungy, but so is my kitchen. The dim sum buffet at Lucky Three on Rt. 7 (weekday lunch only) is pretty good. Have you tried that?

[Soup]

Unfortunately, I cannot agree. 

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I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. Looking up the thread, I see no praise of the dim sum at Mark's Duck House.

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Perhaps you should read the very first post which indicates "It was ALMOST up to NY standards in our slightly humble opinion!".

As for the noodle soup both egg noodle and rice noodle versions are good do to a better than average broth. But again, this issue is the less then acceptable cleanliness.

Have been to lucky three 4 times now but I don't think I will go back. For me it is again the quantity vs. quality issue. Search continues...

[The Hersch]

Unfortunately, I cannot agree. 

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I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. Looking up the thread, I see no praise of the dim sum at Mark's Duck House.

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Perhaps you should read the very first post which indicates "It was ALMOST up to NY standards in our slightly humble opinion!".

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But that wasn't about dim sum. They were there at 4 pm and ordered off the menu:

We were not aware of a dimsum menu but they did have a large list of hot and cold appetizers - is there a separate dim sum menu or cart at other times,does anyone on Egullet know?Just curious.

I'm not sure that MDH is less clean than other restaurants, although as I say it certainly has a grungy appearance. But even fancy places have to struggle with cockroaches. I was at the bar at Kinkead's for lunch a few weeks ago when a cockroach scurried by. A Chinese place that is far less funky than MDH and not far away is Miu Kee, out Rt. 50 just before Annandale Road (in the little strip with the IHOP). They don't do dim sum, but they have some very tasty Cantonese food.

[IR Chef Salad]

Miu Kee is good--we actually went the first time when Mark's was full with a long line. The selection is not as extensive as some other places. There was an excellent Chinese restaurant (name escapes me) in the Eden Center that rivalled all of these mentioned, but it closed pretty quickly. Fortune is quite good, but not on everything...and it is expensive by most any Chinese restaurant standards. Full Kee in the district is good--their noodle soups are great, the duck and the roast pork are always good, and their selection of green vegetables is fantastic. I agree that MDH has its problems, but the Roast Pig is worth the blockage. Their dim sum was pretty good early this summer--last time we were there. And, the make excellent hot and sour soup--even though they are not a Sichuan restaurant. DC area NEEDS sichuan food!!

Has anyone ever eaten at Lin's Dumpling house in NYC? It just closed but was a favorite for their Jia Jiang Mein (noodles with spicy meat sauce)

Any other chinese establishments farther south of falls church--please let me know--we drive up twice a month from Richmond for dinner.

[The Hersch]

The Chinese restaurant at Eden Center had "Dragon" in the name, I think. I never ate there, but heard it was good. The roast pig at MDH is totally wonderful. At Chinese New Year there's a line out the door of Chinese folks waiting to buy it by the pound to take home. They do an excellent roast pig at Miu Kee, too. Perhaps you weren't aware, IR Chef Salad, that there's an outpost of the Chinatown Full Kee at Bailey's Crossroads? It's pretty much the same menu, but in a much nicer place. The Chinatown place is pretty funky; the Bailey's Crossroads place is actually quite nice. And they have a liquor license, which the DC restaurant doesn't. At either place one dish not to be missed is the Oyster and Spring Onion Casserole (or whatever the exact name is), which is among the best things I've ever eaten anywhere.