Full Kee, Bailey’s Crossroads, VA

Last night, after having nibbled on some leftovers at the normal dinner hour, I put my head down, started working on this website, and poured myself into it. When I looked up, it was after 1 AM! I was hungry, and had no food in the house. 

I turned to the Late Night Dining Guide (you need to be signed in to see this) which, thanks to some of our wonderful members such as chaofun, is now up to 66 restaurants which offer service after midnight! I made a couple calls, and on this Monday night, got a couple of “Oh, we closed our kitchen early this evening,” which I find understandable but irksome. 

But Full Kee was open, and in honor of chaofun’s help, I ordered him. I *never* order Chow Foon because it’s so often glop, but Full Kee’s Dry Stir Fried Beef Chow Foon ($11.95) was anything but – they waited until I arrived to fry it (because it only takes a couple minutes), and it was piping hot (a critical trait), not greasy, was fried in very clean oil, not overcooked, and spiked with just the right amount of dry beef. It was the antithesis of everything I normally detest about Chow Foon, and it was delicious.

Sitting on the passengers seat of my car was a mixing bowl (which had been sitting on a heated seat) and a fork. Before driving away, I transferred the Chow Foon into the bowl, and by the time I got home, it was gone.

Thank you, Full Kee, for coming to the rescue of a hungry, late-night worker at 1:30 AM.

PS – Full Kee’s menu features Cantonese, Hong Kong, Szechuan, and Hunan style cuisine. I asked the owner what he felt they did best, and he said Cantonese and Hong Kong. “Szechuan and Hunan are on the menu because they’re easy,” he said. I also asked him what one dish he’d order here late at night. “The same one you did,” he replied.