Rockville, Maryland has the most unusual and fun new culinary hot spot: “Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu”-all locals, all Asians, absolutely wonderful. Make reservations, arrive early, come hungry. It is a new place that looks like a dive but the food is unreal-so good, so plentiful, so fresh, so perfect—and the service was fantastic, too. We had a great time being the only token caucasians. Everything turned out to be perfect (in atmosphere and service) and all the food tasted divine!

The drive this fall was beautiful and so worth the trip; the restaurant is an easy jaunt from 495 to 270 and then into the heart of the historic downtown center. Elders and children will delight in the pan-asian authenticity of the food; cooking and seasoning your own pot of soup at the table, combined with the freshness of the ingredients, made it a home-style family oriented delight. As the cooking process takes a while and the lines are so long, “Bob” has thoughtfully extended the dinner hours to one o’clock in the morning—a plus for night owls or those hoping to avoid any rush hour traffic.

Proper Shabu Shabu is like having a little taste of Nirvana delivered in a steaming hot pot of broth. If you are within four hours of Rockville, I promise the gastronomic adventure is well worth the trip. I will be adding the information to find the place onto 43places.com as a destination in Maryland with the hopes of encouraging patrons—but from the look of long lines wrapping out of the building when we left, I would say (to quote my mum to Bob), “It looks like [they] already have a winner!”

Note to non-Asians: Be sure to give a proper bow (or appropriate sign of courtesy) to all the staff and owners when you go; your best manners and patience with any language barriers will be richly rewarded. They are really out doing themselves to cater to the public at Bob’s 88 SHABU SHABU!