Kam Fong Seafood Restaurant, Washington, D.C.

An unlikely quartet of us gathered in Chinatown Friday night as roommate Leo and I joined Robert and Jon after they called to invite us to come see the new Bed Bath and Beyond store. We found a nice place for dinner where Leo and I had not yet dined, and it turned out to be really good.

Kam Fong Seafood Restaurant is on Seventh Street, just north of the CVS Pharmacy across from the Chinatown Metro stop. A bakery and live seafood display (mostly lobsters and eels) occupies the outer lobby before diners go in to the main restaurant. Hong Kong native Leo was able to order for us in Cantonese.

Jon is a boring, unadventurous Georgia country boy, so he refused to eat "good" foods with the rest of us. He opted for a very Georgia meal of fried egg rolls with orange duck sauce, a won ton soup, and a plate of pork fried rice (fried rice is actually a snack or "junk food" in China, not a proper entree).



The rest of us enjoyed a fabulous repast personally selected by Leo. We started with a delicious cold sliced jellyfish on thinly sliced smoked pork knuckles, served with a hot pepper-spiced vinegar as a condiment sauce. I thought both were quite good, and Leo thought that it was quite authentic.



Next, the main courses began to arrive, starting with a large shrimp, pineapple, and walnut dish in a sweetened cream sauce served atop lettuce leaves. There was a big plate of beef satay with strips of green peppers and onions, and another big plate of roasted duck. Steamed white rice and a pot of hot tea were complimentary with the meal. Robert and Leo both also drank Tsing Tao beers.