A & J

Calculate the number of dumplings you’re craving and multiply it by three. That’s the number that you should order at A & J, where they don’t skimp on the dumpling meat and sauce. This strip-mall gem began in Taiwan in 1971 and has since expanded to a small chain of restaurants in California, Virginia and Maryland. The noodles are made in-house, and you’d be a fool (or a vegetarian) to avoid the spicy noodle beef soup. It’s prepared Szechuan-style, made with plenty of the mouth-numbing pepper of the same name.