Food & Drink in Herndon

Jumbo shrimp sautéed with garlic-cream sauce. Pan-seared pork in a white-wine sauce. New york strip steak and quail. Many of the menu items at El Paraiso Tex-Mex Restaurant expand on the restaurant’s designation as a spicy, south-of-the-border-inspired eatery. There are plenty of staples, too, such as burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas, and enchiladas. Most come stuffed with vegetables, ground beef, shrimp, or chicken, and all feature a dollop of guacamole, a scoop of pico de gallo, or a troll’s spoonful of sour cream.

As ceiling fans cool down the dining room at The Ice House Cafe, plates of American regional seafood arrive tableside, treating tongues to a blend of East Coast, West Coast, and southern recipes fused with French, Asian, and Italian flavors. Across the way, at the chilled oyster bar—flanked by framed vintage photographs and brass and woodworked detailing—chefs ladle out scoops of half-shell clams and oysters, each autographed by the sea captain who caught them. And on Friday and Saturday nights, diners get down and sip on the rhythms and beats generated by live jazz performances.

In the words of owners Ali and Homerya Darugar, Russia House Restaurant aims to cultivate "the warm feeling that you are dining at your aristocratic grandmother's table." Indeed, Mrs. Darugar's years of professional chef experience are anchored in the childhood days she spent in her own grandmother's kitchen. So when the Darugars opened their restaurant in 1992, they naturally combined fine dining with a homey attention to detail and a commitment to addressing every guest as "Czar."

In the sun-flooded, linen-cloaked dining rooms, plates of French-influenced Russian, Continental, and Georgian cuisine rack up stellar reviews five stars at a time. Unfussy dishes of stuffed cabbage and lamb casserole share tables with elegant platters of filet mignon and other tender meats in rich, complex French sauces. Depending on what they order, guests may also witness Russia House's flair for culinary drama: many entrees are prepared tableside.

A charcoal clay oven roars to life every morning in Angeethi’s kitchen in preparation for a day full of roasting meats and vegetables and baking fresh breads including roti and naan. The authentic tandoor prepares a menu rich in traditional flavors derived from spices imported from all over India. A dash of pure saffron, wild black cardamom, and cinnamon enhances platters of long-grain basmati rice, a standard side dish that enhances lamb, seafood, chicken, and vegetarian dishes alike. Waiters shuttle chosen plates out to a regal dining room full of carved, throne-like dining chairs, gilded statues of deities, and napkins fancifully folded into fork-size saris.

Fast Casual Restaurants that feature Healthier Comfort Food. Our menu features award winning Rotisserie chickens that are raised with the utmost care on a vegetarian diet of all natural grains, and are guaranteed free of antibiotics and hormones. Our luscious and juicy chicken tastes better and is better for you.

When creating their expansive menu of what the [Washingtonian] lauds as a "representative selection of the finer cookery of India," Harvest of India's chefs infuse each dish of northern Indian cuisine with their own personal styles. Meat-laden dishes include jumbo prawns steeped in a special chef's marinade before being cooked in the tandoor and lamb cooked in a blend of almonds and cream. Along with their solid lineup of entrees, croquettes of cottage cheese and raisins simmered in light cream sauce are among items that inspired the Washingtonian to name Harvest of India the "perfect restaurant" for vegetarians. Meals unfold in a newly renovated dining room where Indian music underscores the sound of skilled diners chewing in syncopation.

The sushi senseis at Nippon Japanese Restaurant tuck innovative tastes into Japanese dishes and a vibrantly stocked sushi menu that includes two dozen varieties of the chef’s signature rolls. Launch sushi adventures with the firecracker roll’s eel, avocado, and cream cheese contents crowned by salmon and spicy crab salad ($10.95). The Hottie Surprise’s shrimp tempura, crab, and cucumber ($11.95) giggle beneath a blanket of spicy tuna and crunchy yam, waiting to jump out and startle the tonsils, who will then chastise the naughty ingredients. Chefs slice the sashimi of the day into 15 thin pieces for the sashimi deluxe entree ($24.95), and pack a selection of bento boxes with choice meats alongside sautéed veggies, fried shumai, a mashed-potato croquette, and savory sides. Adventurous duos can commandeer a Nippon sushi boat for two ($51.95), which sets sail with a motley 18-piece sushi crew captained by a chef's special roll with peg legs made of chopsticks.