Cuisine:

• Vietnamese
• Others

Green Papaya Description:
With a cheerful and often charming blend of East and West, the Green Papaya restaurant stakes itself out as a player in the roiling Bethesda restaurant scene. Maybe this place won't make its mark as an outstanding purveyor of Vietnamese eats, but it will garner praise for glamorized food and décor that are pretty, if not exactly authentic. And as for the food, make no mistake: You probably will be delighted. Consider this kitchen's version of garden rolls, plump and well wrapped, and served with a flavorful peanut sauce alongside, though the roll lacks some of the more traditional greens wrapped up with the noodles. Less intriguing, and skimpy to boot, is the bowl of rice vermicelli topped with fried spring roll; it is not flavorful enough and comes with more greens than noodles. Although not lengthy, the menu takes you through some of the classics of the Vietnamese kitchen with flavors tidied up for the Western palate. You may find crowds aplenty, so you can opt to sit and eat at the classy bar with its splashy waterfall cascading over sea-green tiles.