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Calendar
PAGE 14 | FEBRUARY 11 – 17, 2021
FALLS CHURCH CALENDAR
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CALENDAR
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
LOCALEVENTS
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Falls Church Farmers Market. The Falls Church Farmers Market runs every Saturday, where attendees will find fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church) 9 a.m. – noon. For more information, visit fallschurchva. gov/547/Farmers-Market-To-Go.
Winter Hike for Teens. For teens ages 12 to 17. Drop-off program. Interested adolescents can join other teens for a hike to the Potomac River and back. The group will cross the stream, hike over boulders and explore the woods along Gulf Branch all the way to the Potomac. It could be cold and icy, so participants should remember to dress warm and wear sturdy shoes. Registration required. To register, call 703-228-4747. Gulf Branch Nature Center & Park (3608 North Military Rd., Arlington) 1 – 3 p.m.
Thursday Evening Book Group
(Online). The Thursday Evening Book Discussion Group normally meets on the second Thursday evening of each month in the library’s conference room. This month’s book is “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson. This discussion will be held online. To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@fallschurchva.gov. 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14
VIRTUALEVENTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15
City Council Work Session (online).
City Council work sessions are held the first and third Monday of the month, with the exception of August and December when only one meeting is held. These meetings are open to the public and are conducted to allow Council Members to discuss upcoming legislation and policy issues; the public is not generally invited to speak. All participating members of the City Council will be present at this meeting through electronic means. All members of the public may view this electronic meeting via www.fallschurchva. gov/CouncilMeetings. The meeting may also be viewed on FCCTV (Cox 11, RCN 2, Verizon 35). Video will be available after the meeting both online and on FCCTV. 7:30 – 11 p.m.
Mandala Design Workshop
(online). Interested participants can join artist and designer Margie Jervis of Creative Cauldron in this creative art workshop on Zoom where they can discover and create the Mandala form in this guided drawing experience. Jervis’ approach is based on connecting the building blocks of nature’s own pattern design to visual art concepts. This hands on, no-artexperience-required class, is a way for participants to immerse themselves in beautiful nature-inspired designs. To receive the Zoom invitation, email Pete Sullivan at psullivan@fallschurchva.gov. 7 p.m.
“Passport to the World of Music”
Live Streaming Series. Creative Cauldron returns with two performances this weekend as a part of its virtual “Passport to the World of Music’’ series. On Friday, Feb. 12, Abbey Lincoln Tribute, with a group of musicians honoring the famed female vocalist, and on Saturday, Feb. 13, Raymi will bring the music of the Andes to Falls Church. All Tickets are $15; both concerts will be live-streamed 7:30 p.m. on their respective show dates. Visit creativecauldron.org for tickets and information.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
KENTUCKY AVENUE will be performing at Jammin’ Java on Saturday. (Photo: JamminJava.Com)
LIVEMUSIC
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark.
The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-237-0300.
Tim Harmon Solo Looping.
Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-858-9186.
Honky Tonk Casanovas. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
Cup O’Jokes — A Special Blend of Comedy (Indoors + Distanced).
Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Broke Superstars. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
Steve Smith Blues Trio. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-858-9186.
A Song & A Slice: Terra Firma
(Indoors + Distanced). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $15. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.
Judy Collins: A Return to Her Legendary 1964 Concert.
Presented by Wolf Trap. $40. 8 p.m. 703-255-1900.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Joe Keyes & The Late Bloomer
Band. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-237-0300. Bob Agnew & Friends. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186.
A Song & A Slice: Kentucky Avenue
(Indoors + Distanced). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.
Skinny Wallace Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-241-9504.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14
19th Street Band. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 2 p.m. 703-2370300.
Josh Allen Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4:30 p.m. 703-241-9504.
Grateful Jams. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT
FEBRUARY 11 – 17, 2021 | PAGE 15
Asian-Fusion Cuisine at Tasty Dumpling is a Delight
by Patricia Leslie
Falls Church News-Press
Sandwiched between retailers in the Falls Plaza Shopping Center is a little takeout spot Tasty Dumpling.
It’s not a dessert café (as it sounded to me from its name) but a Chinese, Asian, and Asian-Fusion restaurant where customers can get delicious pork, shrimp, beef and chicken one-dish meals.
From a customer’s perspective, the place was ultra-spotless, that we clean freaks — which, let’s face it, most of us are these days — are keen to note when visiting any retailer but especially eating establishments.
Tasty’s best-seller is the pan fried bao ($14.50), according to Jason Zhu, one of the restaurant partners and the chef. The dish comes with beef, noodles, ginger and onions and, once tasted, becomes easy to understand why it’s ranked number one. The pieces were crunchy and juicy mixed together inside a little warm bun, with subtle flavor. I generally try to steer clear of beef but found no evidence of any overt flavors in the dish. Soy sauce comes on the side.
When ordering at most restaurants, I plead with the wait staffs, “Please, no spicy,” and “No spicy” is what they promise, but SPICY is what they bring!
These places need some lessons from Zhu, who promised me “No spicy” and that’s just what I got.
Although I liked the bao lots, all those calories from the little buns made me wince, notably when combined with the mango smoothie ($4) I could not resist.
Whoa!
I was exceeding my daily intake allowance (which I may or may not surpass a bit more than I should anyway), but since this was my first Tasty visit, I excused myself and ordered on.
I ordered the dumplings steamed instead of fried.
It was a tough decision to choose between the shrimp and chicken but I finally decided on the basil chicken ($14.50) with carrots, cabbage, green onions and ginger, the latter, not a favorite of mine but Zhu assured me the ginger was not overpowering, and he was right.
The tastes blended marvelously and I loved every bite I could eat.
Then it became a bit too much for one meal and I took home the leftovers in welcome containers of recycled materials.
Even on the cold wintry day I ordered the mango smoothie which exceeded my taste buds’ receptors where the fresh, spirited drink landed. It was the best mango smoothie I’ve ever slurped and made me happy, just seeing the bright color. It was sunshine in a cup. Just writing about it now makes my taste buds long for Tasty’s mango which Linda Lang, another partner, said was made with fresh mango and ice. (Calories? No sugar, no worries!)
Also on the menu are vegetable dumplings (including kimchi, kale and “spicy” tofu), pork dumplings and beef dumplings, each at $14.50. Lang said. Tasty may add rice later.
Due to Covid-19, salads are off the menu now, but the edamame I ordered ($3) was an excellent substitute and reminded me of shelling and eating raw peanuts (which is a good way to get children to eat their “greens,” if your children are anything like mine were. A mom has to have her “tricks!”).
The food was all made to order, fresh on the spot, which took about 15 minutes and well worth the wait.
For Covid-19 reasons, indoor dining is prohibited.
Chairs and tables are pushed to the sides and stacked, but weatherhardy customers can find seating under colorful umbrellas right outside.
It’s tempting to call the restaurant Tasty Dumplings, plural, but the name is just one Dumpling, please (although the orders of dumplings come with 12 pieces each, except the pan fried bao which is eight).
Since its opening about a year ago, six out of 10 Yelp reviewers give Tasty four stars or higher.
The next time I go, it’s all about tasty and taste and to heck with watching calories. I’ll try the shrimp dumplings, please, fried, with a side of mango smoothie.
Order contact-free 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) seven days a week from one of the online delivery services, which charge a bit more than ordering direct from the restaurant and picking up.
• This article is the part of the “Restaurant Spotlight” series, which will feature one local restaurant and its menu each month. To suggest that your restaurant be covered, contact Matt Delaney, News Editor at mdelaney@fcnp.com
A CUSTOMER ORDERS inside the spotless and relentlessly cleaned Tasty Dumpling restaurant, located in Falls Plaza Shopping Center. Some of the offerings at Tasty Dumpling include (clockwise, starting at top): pan fried bao — the restaurant’s most popular dish — edamame and basil
