On a popular stretch of Vermont Avenue across from The Dresden, this well-lit, multifaceted Asian restaurant and bar offers several ways to pass a pleasant evening.

After sundown, the square dining room to the left is a darker, more subdued counterpart to the loungier room on the right, an airier space brightened by the softly glowing bartop. The menu, titled "Street Foods of Asia," can accommodate a casual pre-movie nibble (sweet-glazed edamame, popcorn rock shrimp tossed with chili aioli, dim sum including mushroom goat cheese wontons) or a more extensive dinner (Indonesian lamb skewers, Burma chicken, Szechwan grilled rib-eye). Several of the aforementioned items are on the bar menu as well, which is half-price from 5pm to 7pm every day. On our visit, we sampled from the bar menu on the front patio, where Tiger Lily now offers a separate Shichirin menu—still with us?—of several meats and vegetables that can be cooked atop the table on a tiny little charcoal grill. Two tips: (1) To avoid singed eyebrows, cook first and then dip in one of the three tasty sauces. (2) For dessert, try the crme brle done three ways. The vanilla and mango are flavorful, and the lemongrass an unusual surprise. —Lonny Pugh