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2340 Wisconsin Ave. NW
(202) 337-2340
Hours of Operation and Prices
Lunch: M-F 11:30-3, Sat-Sun 11:30-4; Entrees: $6-$8.25
Dinner: Sun-Th 5-11, F-Sat 5-midnight; Entrees: $7.25-$15.25
Other Information
• All major credit cards
• Reservations recommended
• Dress: casual
• Valet parking (fee) at dinner
• Handicapped accessible
• Tysons Corner branch, where parking is free: Busara, 8142 Watson St., McLean, Va., (703) 356-2288
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Busara has a glossy modern set of rooms with sensational furniture - plastic-coated tables in crayon colors in the dining room and, in the bar, metal tables that reflect in psychedelic hues. On a winter day it could cheer you instantly. In fall or spring, the back garden can soothe you, with its tables set around a tiny pond lush with greenery.
The menu, too, is unusual, with some mild attempts at fusing Eastern and Western cuisines. Many entrees are served Western style, with vegetables and salad greens filling out the plate. Like all Thai restaurants, though, Busara serves a range of mild to incendiary dishes - designated by one, two or three chili peppers on the menu.
If I'm eating with a group and willing to risk a disappointment or two, I order some of the more original and multinational dishes. If it's just myself and a friend, we play it safe with traditional Thai cooking. The old standard larb gai is just right at Busara: The minced chicken has plenty of lime and hot peppers, with lettuce leaves to fold around it. If you like dough-wrapped appetizers, the list is satisfying, from Shrimp Bikini - wrapped in spring-roll skin - to spring rolls to crab and chicken wrapped in bean-curd sheets. Then there are salads, not small appetizers as in most Thai restaurants, but large platefuls, enough for a table to share or one diner to make into a meal.
The list of entrees is immense - if you want to make it easier to navigate, just concentrate on the curries. And for contrast, a noodle dish like pad thai is mild enough to tame the curries' heat. In short, Busara combines modern sophistication with tradition, comfort with festivity and neighborly warmth with professionalism.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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