New Big Wong Chinese Restaurant, Washington, D.C.

Friday nights have been Chinese food night for Ian for years, so Friday when we went out for a late dinner, that's what he wanted to eat. We picked the New Big Wong Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown, since their kitchen is open until 3 a.m. on Fridays, and it's a place Ian has taken visiting out of town guests.

Ian wanted their very economical dinner special, but those are only available during the early dinner hour, and we were there too late for that. So, he created his own dish and specified to the waitress exactly what he wanted: pieces of chicken breast, baby corn, and snow peas in a spicy brown sauce. He got it, and seemed pleased with the result. It was a big plate; he ended up needing another bowl of steamed rice to eat it all.


I got the pork lo mein, made with spaghetti rather than a flat noodle. I found it tasty and the serving size was surprisingly big—it would be an easy dish to split at lunch with a little bowl of soup or an appetizer.