Hungry for Bargains
At these restaurants, no one has to choose between buying gifts and eating out

By Tom Sietsema
Sunday, December 16, 2007

IT'S NINE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS, and you've already broken last year's vow not to overspend on the holidays. It happens. One easy way to cut back is by spending less money eating out. Before you cry heresy, let me remind you that there are a slew of delicious restaurant deals around Washington; some of them are even in the shadow of the stores you'll be patronizing on your last-minute shopping rounds. My early gift to you, then, is a handful of meals that are sure to make you merry for $10 or less.

"I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A DISCO!" a friend shouts across the table at Cava. It's true: The fledgling Greek restaurant, in addition to being small and dim, does a number on diners' eardrums. But the mostly beautiful young things in the crowd don't seem to care. Not only are they getting a lot of attention from a small fleet of dashing waiters, they're eating some very tasty mezze, including piping-hot triangles of spinach- and feta cheese-filled pastries, and salmon roe whipped with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice into a luscious dip for pita bread. Every dish is larger than the usual two or three bites, and the average plate is about $8. Chef Dimitri Moshovitis says he was inspired by "the food that my grandmother does, that my mother does" when he and two other 20-something childhood friends set sail with Cava a little more than a year ago. One of the best dishes on their epic menu is from grandma's recipe box: Lamb kapama ($8.95) -- lamb braised with herbs, "pulled" into shreds and tossed with orzo -- is enhanced with cheese, a touch of cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. On Monday, you can wash back the generous bowl with a half-price martini; on Tuesday, you can enjoy the Old Country memory with a bottle of half-price wine.

Cava; 9713 Traville Gateway Dr., Rockville; 301-309-9090

"NICE TO SEE YOU," a customer salutes the trim, silver-haired man behind the counter at the cramped C.F. Folks. "Nice to be seen!" shoots back Art Carlson, a faux crank who could probably have his own TV sitcom but prefers the easy hours of a weekday-lunch-only cafe. In an age when corporate sandwich-makers dominate the landscape, it's a relief to know about an independently owned joint that takes the high road with its food but doesn't take itself too seriously. (Yes, that's a Julia Child cookbook on the shelf, and, yes, that's a can of Alpo sitting next to a rack of potato chips.) The tiny kitchen is famous for its daily specials, but what it slips between slices of bread is special, too. These days, I'm keen on No. 8 ($6.95), which brings together shaved turkey, pink roast beef, Swiss cheese and a thin layer of crunchy fresh coleslaw on your choice of bread (make mine rye). There's more: a veneer of Russian dressing, a crisp pickle on the side, maybe one more rib from the jokester in chief. "Did you bring money?" I overhear him "welcome" a couple of arrivals. "We need money!"

C.F. Folks; 1225 19th St. NW; 202-293-016

THE PAINTINGS OF VINTAGE VIENNA landmarks on the wall pinpoint the place in Northern Virginia, but the pizza at Church Street Pizzeria supports the upstart's claim: "New York Style by the slice." What used to be a fur shop is now a trim, booth-lined pizza parlor where the dough is made fresh each day, spun into thin rounds and decorated with nothing more fancy than cinnamon, butter and sugar (that would be a dessert pizza). The slices at Church Street might not be as large as some of the ones you'll find in the Big Apple, but they're easy to fold and a pleasure to eat. The draw of the lot is a wedge of the vegetable pie ($1.75), scattered with crisp rings of green bell pepper, black olives, purple onion, mushrooms and bubbling cheese. A neighborly air permeates the place. Small wonder: Marty Volk also owns the Vienna Inn, just "80 yards away," he says, and an easy commute between the two charmers.

Church Street Pizzeria; 115 Church St., Vienna; 703-938-1155

A SHOPPER CAN FIND foreign-language videos, fresh quail eggs and frozen octopus at Daruma. He can also sit down to a meal at the Japanese market. Behind the cashier's counter is a kitchen that turns out very good glazed eel on steamed rice, shrimp tempura poised over a broth with buckwheat noodles and my current excuse to drop by: tanmen ($9.95), a sumo-size bowl of wiry white noodles, folds of roast pork, sheer ribbons of carrot and cabbage that tastes smoky from a wok. The combination of meat and vegetables makes for a heady broth; the strapping portion (No. 22 on the menu) is sufficient for two. Don't expect a lot of frills. The small eating area looks onto an unglamorous parking lot, and travel posters pinch-hit for art on the walls. But the low stools are padded, and there's gentle Japanese music to soothe you while you slurp.

Daruma; 6931 Arlington Rd., Bethesda; 301-654-883

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE SIGN out front. Pike Pizza hasn't baked a pie for probably a dozen years. The cheerful storefront's real signature is a much dearer commodity: saltenas, braided turnovers filled with a soupy mix of chicken or beef plus peas, hard-cooked egg and potatoes. Bolivians treat saltenas as snacks rather than meals; the time to enjoy them here, at the oldest of five family-run area outposts, is breakfast or lunch and no later than 2 p.m., advises co-owner Guillermo Molina, who says his small kitchen sells "hundreds and hundreds" of saltenas every weekend. My routine involves finding a stool at the bar, asking for a beef saltena and cutting a small circle of pastry from the top of the glossy treat, which prevents the liquid center from spilling out. The combination of the delicately sweet shell, the tender meat and a broth seasoned with cumin and garlic makes it difficult to stop at one saltena, and diners can up the heat with a dollop of a wicked relish of minced jalape¿o, cilantro and tomato. The cool thing is, you can add a beer to the equation and get change back from a 10-spot; the saltenas go for a mere $2.15 apiece -- and two could make a meal.

Pike Pizza; 4111 Columbia Pike, Arlington; 703-521-3010

THE SECRET HAS BEEN OUT for a while now: The source for some of the area's most mouthwatering pork, fish and chorizo tacos is on the Hill, behind Johnny's Half Shell, in a charming carryout whose wood rafters, colorful tile floors and bouncy music instantly make you glad to be there. What a lot of chowhounds might not know is that the tiny Taqueria Nacionale also offers daily specials, printed on a chalkboard out front, that celebrate a hit parade of American favorites. "We did it for people who couldn't do tacos every day," says manager Wayne Combs. Monday finds a hamburger covered with pimento cheese; Wednesday yields chicken pot pies. Friday most moves me to action. That's when the kitchen whips up shrimp jambalaya ($7), a riot of sweet shrimp, tomato-tinted rice, zesty andouille sausage and soft peppers that wards off winter's chill as it sticks to the ribs. While big glass jugs of agua fresca beckon to put out the fire (the mango-lime punch is particularly refreshing), this time of year I'm inclined to sip something warm. Taqueria Nacionale comes through, whipping up one of the area's best hot chocolates, creamy with whole milk and (barely) sweet with Spanish chocolate.

Taqueria Nacionale; 400 North Capitol St. NW; 202-737-707

ONE DAY, I HOPE TO EAT MY WAY through all the possibilities at Taste of Burma, whose menu runs almost 100 dishes long. In the meantime, it's hard for me to veer from Gold Mountain Noodles, ($9.95). The main course -- a slippery mound of egg noodles tossed with garlic- and ginger-stoked chicken and sweet coconut cream -- lives up to its description, and before it lands on the table, chef Jona Nila Davis adds a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprinkling of cilantro and onions. Notice the heat? There are chili flakes in the weave, too. The yellow squiggles? The garnish turns out to be fried rice noodles. Novices to Burmese cooking should know that it treads into Thai, Indian and Chinese territory, and the custom is to serve much of the food at room temperature. Regulars of this soon-to-be 2-year-old restaurant can tell you the family-run dining room delivers as much comfort as the food: Warm towels welcome guests; fresh flowers brighten the tabletops; and pillows on the banquettes and embroidered panels on the walls are luxuries you don't expect, but are delighted to find, amid so many bargains.

Taste of Burma; 126 Edds Lane (in the Countryside Shopping Center), Sterling; 703-444-8510

Ask Tom will return.

To chat with Tom Sietsema online, go to washingtonpost.com on Wednesdays at 11 a.m