Restaurant Spotlight of the Week

Happy Family

Happy Family Chinese Restaurant
301 S. Washington St., Falls Church, VA • (703) 534-3838
Hours: Mon - Thurs: 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri - Sat: 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:10 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

By Darien Bates

"Good sense is the master of human life." Just one of millions of fortunes found in cookies at Chinese restaurants throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world (though interestingly enough, not in China). The brief messages, meant to be reminiscent of ancient Confucian wisdom, have become a tradition of American dining culture.

Today, it is almost impossible to go to a Chinese restaurant and not get offered fortune cookies for dessert, another concept that is relatively uncommon in traditional Chinese cuisine.

I grew up with a very good friend, whose parents, first generation Americans, owned a Chinese restaurant. He would tell me how American Chinese food is different than that found in China, and rather conforms to a tradition of Chinese-American food, that has developed for over a century in the U.S.

While Chinese immigrants started to arrive in the U.S. in the 1830's, they didn't start coming in significant numbers until Gold was discovered in California in 1848, leading to the famous 1849 Gold rush, that drew hundreds of thousands of people to California, among them 20,000 Chinese, who would later help build the railroads that stretched through the Sierra Nevadas into the Golden State.

Legend goes that during the backbreaking work of laying the tracks and transportation infrastructure for this country, Chinese workers would give each other optimistic phrases wrapped inside biscuits to keep their spirits up.

Eventually the tradition made its way to San Francisco, where it became part of the Chinese restaurant business, and eventually part of the American tradition.

With this lengthy history in the U.S. it would be fair to consider Chinese cuisine to be as American as Pizza or Tacos, though all are considered to have originated outside the U.S.
While the fare has become well known, and well loved, there are still those places that can offer interesting and well prepared Chinese fare.

Among those is Happy Family Chinese Restaurant, on S. Washington St. in Falls Church. A small family-run delivery/takeout place, serving the area for three years, Happy Family has an extensive menu encompassing the classics and some interesting variations.

Of course there are the classics. The General Tso's Chicken is a no-nonsense, straightforward interpretation of the favored dish. Unlike some versions which add a lot of spice to the mix, this General Tso's doesn't threaten any unpleasant surprised.

Another favorite is the Orange Beef, which Happy Family serves up in generous portions. The sweet citrus flavors are effectively balanced with the beef, and the meat is tender and juicy.
There are also some unexpected choices, like the vegan options, which include favorites like Cashew Chicken and Kung Pao Beef, with the meat replaced by a soy substitute. While the soy meat doesn't exactly mimic the real thing, it has its own unique taste that has gained recognition from vegetarians throughout the area.

Good appetizers include the crabmeat fried wonton, which are filled with a creamy crab filling, immensely satisfying. The steamed dumplings, either vegetarian or meat, are also very tasty. Whatever you choose though, you can be confident of two things: (1) You will get a fortune cookie and (2) your family too, will likely be happy.