Tom Sietsema Bestows Two Stars on Israeli Newcomer Sababa | Eater DC

"In a tiny but pleasant dining room in downtown Fairfax, I find cuisine influenced by China and neighboring countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Mongolia. I recommend kicking off the meal with flaky, pancake-like katlama naan and a cool marinated beef salad sprinkled with garlic, cilantro and chiles; another standout appetizer is the eggplant, whose melty flesh and chewy skin are dressed with garlic, oyster sauce, cilantro and tomato. Notable entrees include boneless chicken qourma with rice and fresh ginger and noodles sauced with lamb and veggies featuring an intense homemade chili blend — the soft noodles boast a perfect chew and are the overall stars — while a whole pomfret bathed in ginger, garlic, oyster sauce and soy is also excellent. Dumplings filled with spiced lamb, a bowl of noodle soup, and the samsa (with a too-dry minced-lamb filling) fall short, and I urge diners to try the French press of black-and-green tea accented with saffron, cardamom and rose; note that the mostly-Muslim menu means no alcohol." - Tierney Plumb