Have you been to Hee Been?

Couldn't resist the double "been". Sorry, won't happen again. Well, not in this post, anyway.

So, in my ongoing quest to find and share delicious cheap eats in Alexandria, Arlington and DC, I've come across another gem--if you like your food nice and spicy, try out the enormous Korean Buffet at Hee Been restaurant off of Little River Turnpike. The restaurant is located in a rather dodgy strip mall, but don't let that stop you--that's actually a hallmark of tasty cheap food. I mean, who really wants to pay for the location? Certainly not the food fiend. I'm all about what's on the plate.

If you like barbecued beef, chicken, pork, etc, the mini grill in the middle of the tables gives you the real thing. You can cook it up yourself (picking your pile of fresh, marinated meats from the buffet) or you can ask the lovely ladies on the staff to do it for you. Being lazy, I took the pre-cooked teriyaki chicken (nicely smoky), the pulled barbecue pork (delicious, sweet and spicy and tangy and irresistible) and the tasty grilled spicy haddock over grilled sliced tomatoes (mmmm). Theses and many more await your perusing on the long buffet table that snakes through the room, beginning with kimchees and salads, moving through snacks, grilled tofu, raw meats to cook yourself, at least 4 huge tureens of homey soups, onto a variety of rice dishes, dumplings, yummy fried savory pancakes and other fried delights I've never seen before (one was like a deep fried sushi roll--tender and flavorful). You can fill your plate up over and over, just sampling a little of this and a little of that--and, excluding some disgusting raw clams, it's all tasty, fresh, spicy and moreish. Onto the previously cooked meats (make sure to take a huge serving of the barbecued pork) and then move to the sushi table.

Korean style sushi tasted better here than the tiny little Japanese bites they give. All the normal roll type sushi with cooked Korean style noodles, meats and veggies inside were simply amazingly yummy. Again, there is so much to choose from that my advice is to take a bit of this and a bit of that, discover what you really like and go back for more of that. You absolutely must wash this down with a beer, and a cold glass of Korean Cass beer, very light and refreshing, is a great pairing with all those spicy treats you'll be firing up your palate with.

For those like the food fiend who hate to drop a lot of money, go during the weekdays at lunch, when all this (excluding the beer) can be had for $14.95. Considering the great array and variety of delicious food to choose from, that's not a bad deal. Be warned: the prices go up substantially on the weekends, but it's still a great chance to sample (and stuff yourself silly with, should you desire) lots and lots of delectable Korean food. The service is fast and friendly, the ambience laid back, and the food is stupendous. 3 out of 4 chopsticks from the food fiend.