Tom Sietsema's Restaurant Recommendations: Arisu and Maizbon Grill

ARISU (Unrated)

1734 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-333-8822. Entrees $10.95-$22.95

City dwellers who enjoy Korean cooking but don't want to trek to Annandale, the area's best source, for their kimchi fix got lucky when Arisu opened in November in Georgetown. Arisu's 30 seats are set close together, but red and purple pillows add a bit of comfort and style to the banquettes hugging the burnt-orange walls. A faceful of steam accompanies a stew of kimchi, tofu and sliced pork; its bubbling, brick-red broth is fiery but also tangy. Lean shredded beef is bundled into crisp lettuce leaves or saucer-size rounds of sliced radish (you choose) for a satisfying bulgogi. However, the selection of gratis little salads, or panchan, is restrained compared with the suburban competition's. At a recent dinner, we got just three items (kimchi, marinated bean sprouts and sliced omelet). Like a number of Korean restaurants, this one feels compelled to serve a few Japanese dishes. Shrimp tempura is light and crunchy. A better introduction comes by way of the chicken-and-pork-filled pot stickers, or gyoza. (Previewed June 24)

MAIZBON AFGHAN GRILL (Unrated)

6244-K Little River Tpk., Alexandria; 703-914-1700. Entrees $10-$27

Waheed Afzali has some definite ideas about what Afghan food should be. "What I do here," says the 44-year-old owner of Maizbon Afghan Grill, "I learn from my mother" as a child growing up in Kabul. At his festive new restaurant, which set sail in July, he's teaching a kitchen crew of six men what he thinks is the best way to make a kebab and whip up nan. Beef and chicken skewers shouldn't taste the same, the chef insists. So the former are marinated with onion juice, and the latter get a hit of dried coriander in their seasoning. Eggs and milk might not be the traditional way to make Afghan flatbread, but Afzali thinks the addition of both ingredients makes for a fluffier nan. The early verdict on the meats: The kebabs reveal a nice flavor but could benefit from less time on the grill. Noodle dishes -- including the leek-filled, yogurt-draped, beef-enriched aushak -- are what you hope them to be, which is plenty comforting. Food won't be the first thing to catch your eye here, though. The decor will. Carved into four distinct spaces, Maizbon is the only restaurant of its kind in the area to accessorize using mannequins dressed in traditional Afghan costumes and, on one wall in the main dining room, what look like compact mirrors but turn out to be shiny cans used for chewing tobacco, all from Afghanistan. (Previewed Aug. 5)

Coming Sunday: Don't miss a review of Chef Geoff's Tysons Corner in The Washington Post Magazine.