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Best Bargain Restaurants: Chesapeake Seafood Crab House

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Chesapeake Seafood Crab House
Arlington

The last year has seen some changes in this very good Vietnamese restaurant (which has nothing to do with the Chesapeake Seafood House chain). The front dining room has been turned into offices, and, in the tradition of Vietnamese restaurants, which often have more than one name, the name An-Loc Landing has been added, but the range and quality of the cooking remain the same.

The menu lists nearly 150 dishes--Vietnamese, Thai, mid-Atlantic fried seafood, even an extensive list of vegetarian specialities. The size of the menu is daunting. A good plan for a group might be to pick a few appetizers--maybe crispy spring rolls, shrimp and pork rolls, and grilled beef in grape leaves--then order a large house-special hot pot, a satisfying one-dish meal consisting of large quantities of very fresh scallops, shrimp, and squid in a tasty broth with vegetables. It easily serves two, maybe even three or four if you add another dish or two. Bo nuong sa, charcoal beef flavored with lemongrass and served with fresh vegetables and rice paper for wrapping the two together, is also very good.

Fans of spicy food will like the stir-fried chicken with "Chilly Lemongrass Sauce." Oysters with ginger and scallions are delicious. The only disappointment on a recent visit was a bland dish of curried frog legs.

Chesapeake Seafood Crab House , 3607 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington; 703/528-8888 or 703/528-8896. Open daily 11 am to 10 pm. AE, D, DC, MC, V. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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