Classier Chinese Restaurant for a Post Wedding Ceremony Meal

[fivefivefive]

My fiancee and I will be having immediate-family only wedding ceremony in Rockville and are looking for a place to eat afterwards (total of 9 people including us).

My family is Cantonese and my fiancee's is from Anhui, so we'd be prefer to eat at a Chinese restaurant with authentic dishes. We're not looking for a full banquet style, but want a place that we wouldn't feel strange coming in somewhat dressed up (obviously nixing hole-in-the-walls). Oh, and we want to stay away from Sichuan places, since some of us are sensitive to spicy dishes.

I've seen Grace Garden, Joe's Noodle House and Hong Kong Palace mentioned a few times on the boards. Could someone tell me what the atmosphere is like?

And if there really isn't anything Chinese that fits the bill, would you have other recommendations? Know that we are planning a larger reception the following day, so we're not looking for a blow-out meal (~sub $40 pp) and were considering something along the lines of 8407, Dino or Palena.

Thanks in advance!

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Hong Kong Palace
6387 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22044

Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD

Joe's Noodle House
1488 Rockville Pike Ste C, Rockville, MD 20852

[fivefivefive]

Hi all!

Just wanted to return to this thread, as a married man now. :)

We ended up changing plans a bit. One of my uncles flew in from Hong Kong just for our wedding and flew out the day after (crazy right?). As a result, we wanted to maximize our time with him and opened up our dinner to our entire extended family of 21 people.

Since most everyone was Cantonese, we decided to go with Silver Fountain. They offered a monster 10 course "family meal" for around $250 per table.

Especially for a banquet (where quality sometimes suffers), we were all pleasantly surprised that all dishes were really solid. My parents had eaten dim sum at New Fortune earlier in the day and completely panned the place as having overly oily, over cooked dishes. They were particularly happier with the dishes here, which ranged from duck to lobster to whole fish, all of which had varying (and sometimes surprising) flavors and cooking methods employed.

As for the setting, we were happy with it. There was not a private room, but we had the back two tables, which offered a casual, but "private enough" setting for the dinner. All in all, we were happy to have some good food with family members we don't get to see very often.

I appreciate all the tips. Hope at some point to return to try out some of the intriguing, but less group oriented places soon.

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New Fortune
16515 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906

[fivefivefive]

Thanks all for your suggestions. As a recap, here is the list of possible places.

Seven Seas
Tony Lin's
Silver Fountain in Aspen Hill
Pacifica Cafe
Asian Delight

My fiancee and I are planning our wedding remotely from Atlanta, but when we come up in the next few months to finalize some things with our vendors, we will try these out and let you know.

Thanks again!

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Tony Lin's Restaurant
12015 Rockville Pike Ste G, Rockville, MD 20852

Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20906

[agarnett100]

I would cross off Seven Seas in CP there is nothing classy about that spot

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Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

[orangemix]

What about Pacifica Cafe? I have not been there and I know others have, but I've heard people like it there.

Another place that I had in mind and that I like the decor and atmosphere is at Asian Delight (http://www.asiandelightsilverspring.com/). I went right when it opened and while the dim sum at the time was a bit bland, it was still better than some of the other places I have tried. I like the live fish tanks for seafood and it's Cantonese style there. I have been meaning to go back.

[EatingOutAddiction]

Have you considered Silver Fountain in Aspen Hill - very close to Rockville? I believe they have banquet set meals for 6, 8 and 10 people on a separate menu....all traditional Cantonese dishes. Decor inside definitely doesn't hurt at all.

[Worldwide Diner]

check out Michael's Noodles. http://michaelsnoodles.com/index.html It's classier than Joe's and HKP.

[flavrmeistr]

What could be classier than Joe's? Why have I not heard of Michael's and how is their food?

[iatethesandbox]

i ate chinese food at this location 3 years ago, and the place was dying. No chance I would go back. I forget the name (it was different than Michaels). So this may be a reboot, but I haven't been myself.

Based on the reviews they put on their own website, they seem to be a bit confused, saying that they serve "Taiwanese, Szechuan, and dim sum". Probably a red flag here...

[Guy Incognito]

I don't see this as a red flag. As Sietsema mentions in his review: "Michael's Noodles employs four chefs: one from Taiwan, the others from Sichuan province."

That being said, I think the Taiwanese dishes are better here. Szechuan is best left to Joe's or Sichuan Pavilion.

The interior at Michael's is definitely nicer than most other Chinese spots. Only problem is that it's kinda small and they only have one or two big tables. I'm sure they can accommodate a party of 9, but it would be a good idea to call ahead.

[Steve]

I went there once, had the Hainanese chicken, and I didn't think much of it. However, I probably ordered wrong. I have heard the noodles and dumplings are the way to go.

Have you been to Mandarin Express in Rockville? Tiny place, doubtful you will see anyone in there not Chinese. The crispy tofu is a must order, and the fish fillets in wine sauce are very delicious.

[Guy Incognito]

I had the Hainanese chicken at Michael's as well and thought it was just okay. I'm still working my way through the menu, but my favorites so far are the spicy slow roasted beef noodle soup, shredded pork w/ fresh chili pepper, and crispy duck w/ spicy salt.

[Steve]

Thanks for the recs... I am sooooo there the next chance I get.

[flavrmeistr]

I've seen the address, but I'm lazy. Where on 28 is this place?

[mdavidf]

As a longtime visitor to Joe's and Bob's, I was excited to see Tyler Cowen's characterization of Michael's as "a combination of A&J and Hong Kong Palace." He goes on to say that it "is perhaps the best Chinese restaurant in this area right now. The dishes are a mix of Sichuan, Taiwanese, and Manchurian.

It has the best noodles and best dumplings around; the Sichuan wontons are a must. Shredded tofu is great. Singapore Noodle is surprisingly good and quite subtle. Pork with spicy noodles, in various incarnations, is excellent. I’ve yet to try the soups but they looks very good. Go mostly with the smaller dishes."

The owners are Taiwanese. I am heading there tonight!

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Hong Kong Palace
6387 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22044

[small fry]

Maybe Far East on Nicholson Lane? I've been to a few events in their upstairs private rooms, and it might be more of the atmosphere you're looking for.

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Far East Restaurant
5055 Nicholson Ln, Rockville, MD 20852

[DanielK]

What's the food like? Unless there's another menu, the one they have posted on their website is typical American Chinese food, not the authentic stuff that the OP asked for.

[small fry]

The hosts have offered Americanized Chinese at the events I've attended there, so I'm not sure if there is an authentic menu or not. The OP would have to call and ask. I thought it fit the bill in terms of decor/atmosphere which is why I suggested it.

[Steve]

You will feel completely out of place in the Chinese spots you mentioned.

[DanielK]

Of all the "authentic" Chinese places I can think in the area, none of them score much higher than "hole in the wall" on decor.

Maybe New Fortune in Gaithersburg, but their regular menu is only ok - their specialty is dim sum.

If you put Chinese aside, lots of places on Rockville to choose from. Off the top of my head, Spice Xing (Indian), La Canela (Peruvian), Il Pizzico or Amici Miei (Italian), Addie's (American), Yekta Kabobi (Persian - adjacent to Joe's Noodle House).

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Il Pizzico
15209 Frederick Rd Ste 2, Rockville, MD 20850

La Canela
141 Gibbs St, Rockville, MD 20850

Spice Xing
100-B Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD 20850

New Fortune
16515 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Joe's Noodle House
1488 Rockville Pike Ste C, Rockville, MD 20852

Amici Miei Ristorante
1093 Seven Locks Rd., Potomac, MD 20854

Yekta Kabobi
1488 Rockville Pike Ste A, Rockville, MD 20852

[fivefivefive]

@Steve, thanks for clarifying on the restaurants I mentioned.

@DanielK, re New Fortune, if the regular menu is only ok, I'd prefer to go to a non-Chinese restaurant with solid food. And thanks for the recs for the other places. Would any of the recs change if we weren't just limited to Rockville?

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New Fortune
16515 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877

[skipper]

If you would go to Chevy Chase, you could try Meiwah which routinely gets good reviews and has appropriate ambiance.

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Meiwah Restaurant
4457 Willard Ave, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

[DanielK]

Meiwah has a very nice dining room, and while they do very good quality American Chinese, I don't think of them as having authentic food.

I just thought of another place, though, Tony Lin's, also in Rockville. They have a very pleasant dining room, and two private rooms that are also nice. They have a separate authentic Chinese menu that is very good.

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Tony Lin's Restaurant
12015 Rockville Pike Ste G, Rockville, MD 20852

[dinwiddie]

You might consider Seven Seas in Rockville.

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Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

[iatethesandbox]

seven seas has a couple 'private' rooms where 9 people would fit easily and separate you from the less dressed up. their food is acceptable with plenty of non-spicy dishes. they do have banquet style menus if desired.

seems like it fits your requirements

[DanielK]

Most of the menu at Seven Seas is kind of hit-and-miss, except for seafood, which is reliably good (though not cheap).

But man, even after the renovation, that place could use a renovation.

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Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852

[fivefivefive]

Thanks. When we come up to finish some of the other wedding planning stuff (currently in Atlanta), we'll try out Seven Seas. Any specific recommendations for dishes? A bunch of us like seafood, but it'd be good to have a mix of dishes.

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Seven Seas
1776 E Jefferson St Ste 112, Rockville, MD 20852