Eliza Restaurant   

A neighborhood favorite on 18th Street's restaurant row, Eliza's updates Hunan and Mandarin cooking without sacrificing an iota of the cuisine's hot, sweet, salty and pungent appeal. In fact, the low prices seem out of place in this airy, arty eating space. Potted plants, colorful paintings and whimsical sculpture vie for your attention, while the food arrives on attractive, hand-painted dishes. The menu includes many war-horses: kung pao chicken, mu shu pork, Buddah's delight. But they receive fresh treatment in the form of light sauces and crisp vegetables. In all, Eliza's delivers the goods and without benefit of MSG.