Restaurant Spotlight - Peking Gourmet Inn

My dear wife Lauren grew up in Northern Virginia, and as it turns out she and her best friend celebrated almost every birthday at Peking Gourmet Inn (“Peking”) since the late 1970s. This place is so special that we try always to have a meal there when we visit the area. I always knew this place was good, but for years I harbored suspicion that Lauren’s devotion to this place was too wrapped up and dunked in the nostalgic hoisin sauce of happy childhood memories. The tests of time proved my suspicions wrong.

So, as we moved to Dallas, Tampa and now Raleigh, and as we continued to vacation in many far-flung places, we’ve come to appreciate good cooking as well as fine cuisine. And in all our journeys, Peking Gourmet Inn has never lost its appeal for us. And my suspicion of Lauren’s devotion melted away as I became an ardent fan of this place right along with her. And the reason is simple – it’s really all that.

The owners of this restaurant are the Tsui family – Robert, Eddie and Lucy are all siblings that took over the restaurant from their father. Over the years, we’ve had many chances to chat with Robert , who’s also a chemical engineer who helped develop some of their recipes. During one visit we got to taste his hot garlic mustard sauce before he actually rolled it out and I knew it would be dynamite.

We were up in the D.C. area this Labor Day visiting relatives and, of course, we stopped in at Peking for lunch on Sunday and ordered a barrage of favorites. We started with the Peking Duck, which is lean and succulent. As they carve it at your table, you can see them scrape the residual fat off the meat and skin before they present it. Their hoisin sauce is made in-house, and it’s rich and flavorful. The hot garlic mustard sauce is a Peking exclusive and is one of those sauces that’s so well balanced that none of the underlying flavors dominates and the result is truly a delicacy. The garlic sprouts served with the duck are organically grown on their own farm.

Our favorite entrée is the Szechuan Beef Proper – also a Peking exclusive. It’s made with strips of beef and sesame seeds that are dry-fried (no oil) at a very high heat with scallions, carrot strips and hot red peppers. The result is a delectable crispy-chewy dish that’s unlike any I’ve ever tasted. I usually eat it on a bed of rice with hoisin sauce drizzled on top. Out of this world!

Needless to say, a meal like that needs to be balanced out – so usually we eat very light that day and try to stay hydrated and find ways to work off the extra indulgence. I highly recommend Peking Gourmet Inn – it’s worth the trip if you’re in or near Washington, or would like to make it a destination restaurant and build a trip around it. Do call ahead and make reservations because it’s very popular.

George Bush the elder ate there frequently and it became a hit with the whos-who of republican Washington in the ‘90s, so prepare yourself for seeing walls lined with the photos of famous republicans. Under other circumstances, all those pictures would induce stomach cramps for me and Lauren faster than Harry Potter’s scar burning in the presence of Voldemort, but we like Robert, Lucy and Eddie and we also stay focused on our food at this place anyway.

Peking Gourmet Inn is located outside D.C. about a mile away from a Fuddrucker’s that was probably a favorite of George Bush the younger in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia at 6029 Leesburg Pike (phone = 703-671-8088).