Fortune is a dim sum place, which means that your meal will usually consist of many small dishes that are wheeled around the restaurant by teenagers pushing carts. I don’t know if all dim sum places have teenage cart-pushers, but Fortune is chock full of them. Depending on what you order, a box will be checked next to a price box ranging from around a dollar up to $6.50 if you’re ordering something big or fancy. But be warned, the price can add up very quickly, especially when you are ambushed the second you sit down like we were.
Christmas Eve Day Lunch is a time-honored tradition in my circle of friends. Those of us who are in the Falls Church area try to go to a place that’s open on Christmas Eve (usually Asian food of some kind) and stuff our faces while gabbing about something or theorizing about what gifts we deserve to get (and once again, my parents have not gotten me the 1959 black Cadillac Coupe deVille I know I deserve.) This year, some chums and I decided to hit up a place that I had always seen but never tried, the Fortune Chinese restaurant located in Seven Corners near the Home Depot. This proved to be a good decision.
Fortune is a dim sum place, which means that your meal will usually consist of many small dishes that are wheeled around the restaurant by teenagers pushing carts. I don’t know if all dim sum places have teenage cart-pushers, but Fortune is chock full of them. Depending on what you order, a box will be checked next to a price box ranging from around a dollar up to $6.50 if you’re ordering something big or fancy. But be warned, the price can add up very quickly, especially when you are ambushed the second you sit down like we were.
A friend of mine ordered shark fin dumplings, and while I spent a long time chastising him for supporting an evil practice, I have to admit that they tasted like a fishy version of pork and were pretty good at $4 for three dumplings. The other various dumplings, meat buns, sticky rice balls, etc. were also very good for the price, although a few of the dumplings could have been warmer. There are a dozen or so dim sum options available on every cart, so be sure to ask what any particular dish is before you agree to get anything. Furthermore, don’t fall victim to the initial horde of servers that will descend upon you like hungry vultures with jet packs onto a piece of carrion.
Although Fortune does not appear to be very big from the outside, the interior of the restaurant is essentially a long hall with tables on either wall and in the middle with enough room for the carts to get by. Even on Christmas Eve, or maybe because it was Christmas Eve, the place was nearly full with people stocking up on calories for the long winter ahead. While they do offer non dim sum dishes, such as a tank crammed with crab and lobster, it seemed that most people had come for the somewhat-famed dim sum. I was also intrigued by the sign advertising free soda and tea on weekdays, but this turned out to be a boldfaced lie, as they charged me for my Diet Coke and apparently do not offer refills like every other similar-sized or smaller (or bigger) restaurant on the planet. While the food was good, it’s not the highest quality in the world (not that I was expecting it to be), so they have no excuse for not refilling my drink other than being cheap.
At a cost of around $10 per person for our group, Fortune is great for people who want to eat a lot or a little of everything they can. Just hold your own, be prepared and be confident in your selection. If you follow those steps, you’re in for a treat.
Fortune is located at 6249 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church. For more information, call 703-538-3333. The restaurant’s hours are Monday – Thursday, Sunday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
