1054 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. (301) 424-0495 Hours of Operation and Prices Lunch: M-F 11:30-2, Sat noon-5; Entrees: $6.50-$8.50 Dinner: Daily 5-11; Entrees: $9-$20 Other Information • Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa • Reservations: Accepted • Dress: Casual • Parking: Free lot • Nearest Metro: Rockville, Twinbrook • Handicapped accessible

Sam Woo is a large, blond-wood restaurant with grills in the middle of the tables for barbecuing and a long menu with Japanese as well as Korean dishes. And both are done well. The sushi is as fresh as most in Washington, and the barbecued meat, marinated with garlic, soy sauce and a hefty dose of sugar, is succulent. And like all the other Korean dishes, Sam Woo accompanies entrees with half a dozen little servings of condiments - kim chee, fried tofu, shredded daikon, marinated bean sprouts, spinach and seaweed - plus miso soup and rice.

Beef is the star, particularly short ribs. Other barbecued dishes include thinly sliced beef, pork, chicken, tongue and puffer fish. There's a raw beef dish of julienned meat tossed with soy, sesame seeds and too much sugar for my taste, but the meat itself is lean and excellent.

The menu goes on and on, including several versions of bibimbap, a huge bowl of rice with meat and vegetables to be mixed at the table with brick-red pepper paste. There are even bigger bowls of noodles with soup topped with everything from dumplings and rice cakes to beef bones and scallions. Several of the main dishes are also available as appetizers, including interesting rice-flour pancakes with meat or lentils. It's an exotic collection.