We know that many of you are skeptical that worthwhile culture could somehow bloom amidst the barren asphalt expanse of suburbia. But for those of you willing to maintain an open mind about such matters, we propose an evening raid of three of Annandale’s cultural gems in a series of lightning strikes that will enable you to get in, get out, and be back in your Mt. Pleasant basement apartment just in time for Charlie Rose. And all three of our recommendations in this tour of decadence are on the same half mile stretch of Little River Turnpike.

Though Annandale is lately known as “Little Korea,” it also happens to host one of our favorite Afghan Kebab joints, Food Corner Kabob. For those in need of a truly regal feast, we recommend their “quabili palau,” a monstrous dish of rice bejeweled with sweetened, fried, and glistening strips of carrot and plump raisins. Though the rice is flanked by a generous portion of lamb stew, or what they curiously term “meat sauce”, dig beneath the mound of rice and discover another heaping portion of succulent pieces of roasted lamb.

Their charcoal grilled kebabs all have a nice amount of char on the outside, but somehow retain their juiciness inside. Even folks who normally eschew chicken should give their chicken kebab a chance. The chicken, which is tinged orange from a savory marinade of yoghurt and spices, is, for once, an even match for its lamb counterpart. The shammi kebabs are cylinders of spiced, ground beef, and are also worthy. And lamb kebabs are seldom accorded this much respect elsewhere.

All of these dishes include a choice of vegetable, all of which are excellent, but we can’t ever seem to deviate from their pumpkin, or kadu. The Afghan elevation of pumpkin from also-ran starch to star player is easily their great contribution to world cuisine.

While you’re tearing pieces of their freshly baked nan, take a moment between bites to admire the one corner of wallspace devoted to various promo shots covering what appears to be the proprietor’s second career as a would-be Afghan pop star, replete with a sideburned and pompadoured Elvis phase.

After kebabs, head just up the street, pull into the parking lot with the Giant, and roll all the way to the opposite end of the lot, where you’ll find Strangeland Records perched on the second floor of a building that also houses two different Korean bars. Strangeland specializes in electronic and industrial music, but it also has an outstanding punk and metal section. We spotted obscurities by Nurse With Wound in the “experimental” section, and that old Circle Jerks album we’ve been meaning to repurchase on CD.

Strangeland opened last spring, and the ambitious proprietor has hosted a number of interesting in-store events since then, including a “Fetish, Wine, and Cheese” event that featured the work of a local fetish photographer, and, of course, gratis glasses of wine fresh from the box. And beyond these special events, Strangeland also encourages local artists to showcase their wares on its ample wallspace on a regular basis, and currently features the dark mixed media work of local artist Katherine Katz. Not only is the artwork supremely cool, it’s also very affordable.

But it’s their Friday night live music events that truly make Strangeland an indie triple threat. The owner is amenable to folks hitting the nearby Giant for BYOB, and though the store is nominally open until 10 pm, these events routinely run until 3 am or later. Tonight at 8, for instance, Strangeland is hosting local junglists the Dirtbox Kru, five different DJs spinning all manner of drum ‘n’ bass.

If you reach your fill of stutter stepping beats after a couple of hours, you’ll still have time to hit Le Matin de Paris, an unlikely and posh French Korean bakery just up the road that's open until 11 pm. Pick up some of their exquisitely packaged pastry exotica to try the next morning, or have a pastry and some bubble tea to absorb some of the alcohol before you hit the road. This bakery doesn’t do all that much fusion thankfully, but our favorite example of East meets West are their wonderfully dainty tuilles studded with black and white sesame seeds. They also keep the two baking traditions separate with traditional madeleines, as well as various permutations of sweet beans stuffed Korean breads and pastries.

Food Corner Kebab
7031-A Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA
(703) 750-2185

Le Matin de Paris
7326-A Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA
(703) 914-0088