Dishes We Dug:The duru jjigee(marinated, spiced pork belly sauteed with kimchi and rice cakes, served with steamed tofu) at Mandu,grilled asparagus spears sprinkled with parmesan (instead of fries) at BGR: The Burger Joint, chicken curry hakata (ramen with chunks of fried chicken) at Toki Underground, tater tots at P.J. Clarke’s.

Overheard While Waiting Outside For a Table Upstairs at Toki Underground: “I want to go there,” says one passerby to another. “Those dumplings and that damn wine is calling me.” (Curious: did she mean sake?)

Overhead While Trying to Circumvent a Crowd of Teenagers Blocking the Cash Register at Dolcezza: “I only learned Latin to sound smart.” (Still, the black sesame gelato was worth the wait.)

Best Hyperbolic Headline in a Press Release Last Week: “NUMBER ONE RESTAURANT IN THE NATION OPENS 1ST EAST COAST LOCATION IN OLNEY” That top-rated restaurant? Cafe Rio Mexican Grille, winner of the 2010 Quick-Track Award, described in the release as the restaurant industry’s “Oscar equivalent,” besting such venerable fast-food brands as Chick-fil-A and In-and-Out Burger.  The forthcoming location at 3140 Olney Sandy Spring Road will be the Salt Lake City-based restaurant chain’s 40th in the nation and first of nine planned for the D.C. metro area, according to the release.

Best Anonymous Caller Tip of the Week: Recommending the off-menu Bolivian marching powder apparently available from the bar at a swanky downtown D.C. steakhouse.

Photo of “the Jets ‘n the Mets” sandwich at Uptown Deli in Bethesda, courtesy of hungry reader Phillip Brown