I thought I'd start up a thread for restaurant recommendations, seeing as how we have ones for "LUNCH" and what we're cooking, but nothing specifically to recommend restaurants. I'm talking about some local hole-in-the-wall, a great hotel restaurant (for our friend Gia), or perhaps even a new chain that's about to take off. The latter is what I'm here to tip you about today.

In 2002 I visited South Africa and happened upon a great South African franchise-restaurant success story: Nando's. Nando's is a family restaurant in the vein of my much-beloved Cracker Barrel (except that the main protein is always peri-peri grilled chicken) and it's goooooood. In South Africa I ended up with a table overflowing with delicious side dishes, and, of course, a pile of chicken bones and the whole meal cost me about six bucks thanks to an advantageous exchange rate.

Since then, I've been gladdened to happen across and eat in Nando's restaurants in Mauritius (which is easy enough to expect, as Mauritius is a suburb of Johannesburg), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, London and Dublin. I never did figure out why Nando's is not in Hong Kong, which is an expected destination based on those other markets.

Well, jerkwads, Nando's have arrived in Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland. If you live in this area or happen to pass through, you owe it to yourself to get a preview of the Next Big Thing in America.

One warning, though: Peri-peri sauce is HOT — the burn you once going in, burn you again coming out kind of hot. Even the so-called "mild" chicken in South Africa was almost too much for me (the Admiral has toughened up significantly since then). Maybe the recipe will be adjusted for the American market, but I would go in expecting something quite spicy.