Most would say that the Peruvian chicken at Crisp & Juicy needs no accompaniment. But the chain's spicy garlic mayonnaise certainly enhances the consumption of the standard bearer frozen fries - and that's not even mentioning the stellar spicy green sauce. And no one could be blamed for swiping a little mayo for the chicken.

Among the various mayo-based dipping sauces at Eamonn's it's hard to pick a favorite. But the most unique among them is the Kitty O'Shea with capers, olives and oven-dried tomatoes. Think of it as a sunnier, French version of tartar sauce.

The ability to choose from a plentiful array of fresh seafood to be fried or broiled, what keeps people going back is owner Bill White's Mango Tango sauce. The creamy, sweet sauce is the perfect accompaniment to the spiced cornmeal-crusted fish, fried chicken or fried pork chops.

Some restaurants only provide a sauce by request. And that appears to be the case with the hot green sauce at Julia's Empanadas. It's a neon melange of blitzed jalapeno that works best when poured into an empanada before each bite. The flavor brightens up the cinnamon- and cumin-heavy fillings in the empanadas.

Naan & Beyond offers three different sauces to accompany the samosas, biryani and other dishes. Among the three options of mint, hot and mango, the mango is among the best. It has a subtle hint of spice to balance its creamy sweetness.

Most of the time the butter that accompanies bread is an afterthought. But at Rose's Luxury the butter is whipped with chives and fried potato skin crumbs added on top. It's a perfect complement to the warm potato bread making it reminiscent of great potato skins.

Many Chinese carry outs in D.C. feature fried chicken with mumbo/mambo sauce. And each has its own rendition of the local sauce that is often described as a flavor hybrid of sweet-and-sour and barbecue sauces. Smokey's is one of the favorites though places like Yum's are also favored. And GBD has a high brow version that it serves with its fried chicken.

The intensity of freshly made hot sauces serves as a perfect complement to the tacos at Taqueria la Placita. The red hot sauce is intense and smoky with enough heat to bring forth beads of sweat.