Plus: March Madness spots & new lobster rolls in Falls Church
Finding the right value at Northern Virginia restaurants is harder than it should be, especially when pricing varies dramatically between weekdays and weekends.
Nobody wants to spend $120 on lunch for three people when they could have gotten the same meal for significantly less on a weekday. That's exactly what happened during my recent weekend visit to Saao Thai and Sushi in Reston, and while the food quality was excellent, the weekend pricing left me questioning the value. As I've discovered over years of exploring NoVA's dining scene, knowing when to visit is sometimes just as important as knowing where to go.
Here's what we're covering in today's newsletter:
- My detailed review of Saao Thai and Sushi in Reston
- Best spots to watch March Madness in Arlington and Falls Church
- The new Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls opening in Falls Church
Let's dive into this week's NoVA restaurant discoveries.
If you're looking to make the most of Northern Virginia's dining scene this week, here are the resources you need to help you decide where to eat:
Weekly Resource List:
- March Madness Watch Spots - Arlington and Falls Church are home to numerous venues with special game-day deals and bracket competitions, from Astro Beer Hall's $10 Narragansett and Fireball combos to Quincy Hall's $500 bracket competition.
- Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls - A new seafood spot has opened in Falls Church serving Maine and Connecticut-style lobster rolls, with special opening promotions running through April including free sides and chances to win free weekly lobster rolls for a year.
- Izakaya Nana Japanese Pub Grub - A review of a new venue in Chantilly for Japanese pub grub and a more affordable taste of Japan.
Saao Thai and Sushi: High Ceilings, High Prices
Today we went for lunch at Saao, a Thai and sushi spot in Reston, Virginia. It's not too far off the 267 and just across the way from Reston Town Center. Plenty of parking around, especially on a Saturday lunch time. As we approached the restaurant with my children, it became obvious we were going to be the only people in, but it was 12:00 p.m., so we were straight in the doors pretty much as soon as they opened.
The Space
The space inside was very nice. Lots of space between the tables which I like. Nice high ceilings which I also like, and we had a friendly and enthusiastic greeting from what appeared to be the maître d' when we came in. Of course, we had the choice of any table we wanted. We picked one near the window, not least because it's got nice light for taking lovely food photographs.
The decor around the dining room certainly pays direct homage to Thailand, with plenty of statues and stylistics, the type of which I recognize from my wonderful time in that country nearly 15 years ago. The atmosphere was super quiet with just us there, but they had nice music playing and we kept one eye on an EPL game on the screens above the bar. Those screens suggest there's a very different vibe in there during evenings.
The Menu
The menu was interesting - a bit like Sweet Ginger that we reviewed the other week. This is a kind of mixture of cuisines with Thai and sushi, so actually very similar to Sweet Ginger in Vienna. In terms of the menu makeup, I'd say the rice and curry dishes here are a lot more traditional Thai. They had a special board including some fatty tuna that we'll get back to later. After ordering, water was left on the table. We had the standard venue menu as well as the dry erase sushi menu that most places with extensive sushi selections have.
The Food
So we tried a bunch of things, mainly because most dishes came as three pieces and there were three of us. You know, I like to stop the kids from arguing, and "one each" is a pretty clean way to divide things.
We enjoyed those nice big shrimp tempura appetizers - three pieces with a typical soy-based sauce. Real nice quality, thin and crispy tempura batter, and fried to crispy perfection without the shrimp being overdone.
Then I went a little more off-piste in terms of the boys' more traditional tastes and ordered some Kanom jeeb dumplings, which have an interesting mix of flavors. They've got pork, crab, shrimp and water chestnut, and it worked deliciously well. The standout was the expert blending - three different meats involved that all had space on the "stage." The dumplings themselves were prepared really nicely, stuffed without being too squishy and warmed all the way through. That mixture of meats was really delicious, especially along with the chef's sauce that came with it. There were five dumplings, and we were certainly having a lively debate about who would get the additional two, since we enjoyed them so much.
For main courses, I have two children with different tastes. One of them was happy with his beef fried rice which came in a really generous portion. Really nicely done with lots of big chunks of beef in it. That was $17.95. I think this restaurant would probably benefit from doing lunch time deals even on weekends if they're as quiet as they are.
I would have been tempted by the signature pineapple fried rice which comes served in a pineapple, but it didn't seem worth the extra $3. I don't think you get much more than half a pineapple that's scraped out, so it didn't really feel like tremendous value. If there'd been a lunch special on it, that's something I would have gone for. But the beef fried rice plate got really nicely cleaned by the youngster - she very much enjoyed it and it looked like a good quality dish.
On to the sushi - me and my other child were much more into it. I tried the fatty tuna nigiri which was recommended by our lovely server. She was excited to offer it, and I was very excited to eat it. It was delicious - two decent size pieces. Kind of pricey though at $14.95, which seemed like a bit of an upcharge versus the sashimi, which was an extra piece and without the rice. Overall, not the most expensive price in an absolute sense, but the pricing strategy and the pricing differences in the menu seemed a little strange. Because it was lunch time, I probably felt a little more sensitive to it.
On to the rolls - I had a dragon roll because I wanted to share with the boys. It was great - eight really good pieces with a nice mixture of all the different fish and a shrimp draped over the top. Would definitely recommend that at $11.95, which seemed like a really good deal.
My youngest went with the Pacific roll, a mixture of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and avocado, which he very much enjoyed. The plate got cleaned completely. The fish overall certainly tasted very fresh and was very enjoyable. They must do a decent volume in the evenings to be able to have fish of that freshness and quality.
The little guy was still hungry for dessert at the end of it. Maybe eyes bigger than belly in this particular case, but he managed to chow down a sticky rice with ice cream, which was a really generous portion. He had green tea ice cream, so it was nice to have that unique flavor available. He took his time and savored every bite of what was again quite a hefty portion.
The Service
The service throughout was very attentive. Our water wasn't refilled, but it wasn't empty either - I actually get annoyed when they over-fill. The server made regular check-ins on the food and was genuinely enthusiastic about the specials. She offered extra things, which I can see people doing when not knowing what the size of the portions is like. You could certainly approach this restaurant with a tapas mindset and try a few different things, especially if you're a larger group - that might be a nice idea.
Bathrooms were clean and tidy. Again, I'd expect that as the first and only customers of the day, but clean and tidy, out towards the back of the restaurant which itself was well decorated.
Value Assessment
I've actually just noticed on their website that they do have a lunch menu, but it only runs Monday to Friday. Maybe they should extend the lunch menu to Saturday? I don't know. Perhaps they're busy during the summer and can't justify it. But it looks like you can get the fried rice for $13.95 Monday through Friday. I just think they should have lunch specials on Saturdays and Sundays as well if they're going to be open on those days.
Overall, lunch for three ended up at $102, so a little over $120 including tip, which is hefty for lunch for three - two kids, albeit two hungry teenage kids. That seems a bit of a hefty price tag for lunch. So I'm going to keep returning to this lunch menu thing as the thing that sticks in my mind from the visit. Obviously it's higher quality food than a chain place or a super casual place, so I expect it to be a little bit more, but the weekend pricing is sticking in my throat a little bit, as you can tell by how many times I've mentioned it.
Bottom Line
Saao delivers authentic Thai flavors and fresh sushi in a spacious, pleasant environment. The quality is certainly there, both in ingredients and preparation. Just be prepared for a bill that might surprise you if you're visiting for lunch on a weekend. Weekday lunch specials offer better value, so plan accordingly or go with a tapas mindset and share several smaller dishes among your group.
That's it.
Finding value at Northern Virginia restaurants often means knowing when to go and what to order. Weekday lunch specials can save you substantial money, and happy hours at sports bars can make watching games much more affordable.
PS...If you're enjoying Best Northern Virginia Restaurants, please consider referring this page to a friend. They'll discover NoVA's best restaurants without wasting time and money on disappointing experiences.
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