MEAZA (5440 Columbia Pike, Arlington; 703-820-2870) -- The best injera around -- injeras, actually, one all-teff and the other a still-pungent mix of teff and whole wheat -- and for meat-eaters, one of the best Ethiopian kitchens altogether. Try the grilled lamb short ribs "appetizer," a hefty plate in itself; the kitfo deluxe, which pairs the fine steak tartare with lovely house-made yogurt cheese; the change-up spicy chopped red snapper; the collard greens; the stewed chicken doro wot; and the great lamb tripe with tongue. Entrees $7.99-$10.99. Not wheelchair accessible.
SOL DE ESPAÑA (838-C Rockville Pike, Rockville; 240-314-0202) -- Although it may be harder to get in to this Andalusian snuggery on the weekends, it's worth it, both for owner Joaquin Serrano's cheerful presence and for his delicate timing on the shellfish. Then you can go wild for specials such as grilled fresh baby sardines or steamed baby scallops in the shell; sauteed shrimp; mero (grouper) and mixed shellfish in green sauce; fried calamari or the well-timed and substantial paellas (seafood, meat and seafood or vegetarian) for two. Entrees $18.95-$23.95; paellas $32-$36.90.
ZIO'S (9083 Gaither Rd., Gaithersburg; 301-977-6300) -- Inexpensive and filling Italian food is easy to find these days (although it's more and more often franchise fare), but a really good family-recipe pizza may be harder than ever. The pizza dough here, made from Mama Pappano's family recipe, is like the best fresh bread you've had in weeks, and even if the pasta isn't as consistently fine, it will keep the family happy. Pizza, garlic bread, thick wine glasses, salad bar--Zio's is just like the old days. Entrees $9.25-$14.25, pizza $4.75-$13.75.
OKINAWA (1558 Annapolis Rd., Odenton; 410-551-5611) -- It's not the most "ethnic" of Korean restaurants, or the broadest of Japanese kitchens either, but this family-friendly spot has much to recommend it, beginning with the complementary California roll for each table. Sushi is the most reliable sector of the menu, thanks in part to the fact that chef-owner (and longtime Yokohama chef) Kyung-Yul Kim) is behind the glass. The various Korean barbecue dishes are good, if not great, and the multitude of panchan, the little side dishes, unusually nice. Try the pizza-sized pajun, a sort of crepe/omelet with oysters, shrimp, meat and blanched scallions. Appetizers $5.95-$9.95; entrees $9.95-$25.96.
PASSAGE TO INDIA (4931 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-656-3373. Metro: Bethesda) -- Beauty is as beauty does, and this fabulously detailed restaurant, like a Merchant-Ivory movie set, is very nearly as detail-oriented in the kitchen. Original chef-owner Sudhir Seth and his staff from Heritage India days have laid out a new menu that offers basic comparisons between some regional styles, ideal for group experimentation. Among the best are the tandoori scallops and crab masala appetizers; malai chingri, shrimp in a coconut/brown spice sauce; ginger-marinated tandoori jumbo prawns; bhindi do piaza, crisp okra with cumin; and a great version of chicken makhani (butter chicken). Among the bread choices, the mint- and sea salt-studded purina paratha is first-rate. Entrees $8.95-$16.95. Wheelchair access fair.
FLYING SCOTSMAN (233 Second St. NW; 202-202-783-3848. Metro: Judiciary Square or Union Station) -- This attractive snuggery, named for one of Britain's great engines and routes, has plenty going for it: a good single malt and beer list, tech-age games and TVs, erratic but sometimes impressive fare and a bartender (Danielle Henry) like the little engine that could. But time is not of the essence here. While it gears up for lunch, the rest of the time the kitchen seems direly short-handed. The mini-birdies (ground beef pasties, something between cottage pie and Scottish samosas) are made from scratch, but slowly; the cottage pie is middling at best. The fries are a disappointment, but the Parmesan-crusted salmon is good, and the un-Scottish barbecue ribs and Reuben, too. Lamb shank is either highly popular or apocryphal; it's always sold out. Entrees $10.50-$17.
OKRA'S LOUISIANA BISTRO (9110 Center St., Manassas; 703-330-2729) -- Easy on the eyes (exposed brick, confetti-splattered ceiling, Bourbon Street poster art) and reasonably Big Easy on the palate, this family-friendly roadhouse deserves credit for generous servings and for grease hot and fresh enough to produce good alligator bites and fried okra easily worth the bistro's signature. It also keeps a close eye on the meats and a calculating hand on the Tabasco. But the blackening is tourist-food heavy and a little acrid (the ancho-flavored salmon excepted) and the vegetarian dirty rice forgettable. Entrees $9.95-$19.95. Not wheelchair accessible.
NEW ORLEANS BISTRO (4907 Cordell Ave., Bethesda; 301-986-8833. Metro: Bethesda) -- This elegant Garden District-look room, with cafe au lait walls and vintage photos of jazz musicians, promises a little more in the way of balance and sophistication than it yet delivers -- carelessly cloying cream sauces, okra-less gumbos, one-note seasonings, salty or spicy -- but it's still new, and there are signs of promise. The fried green tomatoes are fine, as is the remoulade; shrimp etouffee had a properly dark base and a generous crowning of shrimp; and the fried oysters were cradled in an almost tempura-light batter. Now if they can just master baking biscuits . . . Entrees $12.25-$23.95.
CENTRO ITALIAN GRILL (4838 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda; 301-951-1988. Metro: Bethesda) -- Just when you think your palate has frostbite, Centro slides you a plate of gnocchi so fine-grained you think it had been passed through silk instead of stainless steel, and slicks it with unctuous veal cheek ragu. For that, and for the painstakingly reduced mushroom stuffings, much would be forgiven (over-seared scallops, aggressively sweet-sour pomegranate sauce on the quail). And for the sake of the huge wild boar crostini, I'd gladly add a few rounds on the treadmill. Centro finally cooks as smart as it looks. Entrees $16-$30.
TEXACAN BEEF & PORK CO. (21750 Red Run Dr, Ashburn; 703-8585565 or 877-877-8766) -- While it may not be as chunky, as fun or (fortunately) as fatty as hand-pulled pork belly, the barbecue from this kitchen are pretty darn good, distinctly sauced, though only moderately hot, and unusually convenient. Pop the vacuum pack in the microwave for a couple of minutes and it's ready to go. The chicken is a little sweet (it makes quick Brunswick stew); and the neat meat size of all flavors is particularly handy for kids. Go in for carryout lunch and get three ribs, a sandwich and a soft drink for only $6. And this month, all retail sales are donated to tsunami relief. Note, it closes by 6:30. Sandwiches $2.50, barbecue $8-$9, ribs $10-$17.
BARE BONES (20260 Goldenrod Land in the Hampton Inn, Germantown; 301-916-3700) -- This relocated Gaithersburg family favorite is the opposite of Texacan -- mostly sit-down, wood rather than stainless steel, a full bar, afternoon/evening hours and TVs in full force -- but however old-fashioned, the BBQ is a big draw. Ribs are famously the house specialty, especially the pork baby backs; and while the Texas prime-rib bones are rather fatty, they are obviously bovine and falling off the bone. Take 'em out, cut 'em off and stew for ragu. Appetizers $4.75-$15.95; entrees $11.95-$25.50.
