Din Tai Fung

I had my first xiao long bao (aka - XLB, soup dumpling) at Din Tai Fung, Arcadia.  While I found my first encounter with XLB to be quite good, I didn't understand why people would wait hours and hours for the lop-sided dumpling that often had more meat filling than soup.  Still, during the early 2000's, whenever my friends and I craved XLB, we trekked to the SGV for XLB at DTF.

Since my early-XLB days, I've sampled the delicate dumplings aplenty from hole-in-the-wall places in NYC, SF, and LA (namely Mama Lu's and ROC Kitchen).  Over time, I began to understand the elements to a perfect dumpling: (1) skin just thick enough to prevent soup spillage, but also have enough pull for slight resilience; (2) hot savory pork broth that doesn't taste MSG-fied; and (3) filling that isn't too gelatinous or mushy, but has just the right amount of fat to retain good flavor.  While I can't say I've found the #1 XLB shop in LA, I have to hand it to Din Tai Fung for expanding its American empire, and readily making available tasty dumplings for diners unfamiliar with Shanghainese cuisine.

Din Tai Fung just opened its doors to the OC community (via South Coast Plaza), but here's a glimpse of Din Tai Fung, Glendale.

Pork & Vegetable Wontons with Spicy Sauce -- (6 for) $8

Shrimp & Pork Wonton with Spicy Sauce -- (6 for) $9

Shrimp & Pork Soup Dumplings -- (10 for) $9.50

Truffle Soup Dumplings -- (5 for) $22.50

Decent Filling-Soup ratio... don't burn you tongue!

I spy...

truffles!

Strictly out of curiosity, I tried the truffle dumplings.  Priced at a whopping $4.50/ soup dumpling, I am sure I will never order it again.  The truffle flavor is clearly present, but there is nothing to truly write home about this dish.  It's a novelty item that entertains the occasional food blogger or the curious eater.  Stick with the standard shrimp/ pork XLB.

Other dishes to consider are pork/ shrimp shao mai (they look like money bags), minced pork noodles, and Shanghai rice cakes.

There's no doubt that Din Tai Fung is a good place to get introduced to xiao long bao.  There's also no doubt that there will be crowds of people at your nearest Din Tai Fung.  All things considered, it's a place worth putting on and checking of your list.  Bon appetit!

cuisine: Taiwanese
location: Glendale (Arcadia and most recently, Costa Mesa)
hours: M-F: 11am-10pm; Sat: 10am-10pm; Sun: 10am-9pm
websites: { DTF | yelp | facebook | twitter }
parking: Americana parking (first 90 min free) or Valet
attire: Casual
price: ~$10-20
notes: Takes credit cards, but does not take reservations.  Full bar available.  Can order half portions of dumplings.

Frida

There are a lot of reasons to love California and a handful of reasons to hate it.  Hate: the traffic; the smog; the superficiality.  Love: the weather; the food; the diversity (in people and places); the chillness; the possibility of dining outdoors while people-watching and eating good food virtually any time of the day.  And that last thing is precisely what we did at Frida.

I've passed by Frida on multiple occasions while shopping at the Americana and each time, I also passed the opportunity to dine there.  So when I was told we were going to lunch there a few weeks ago, I was a tad bit excited.  This excitement included "studying" the menu for about 20 minutes so I knew what I was ordering well before we got to the restaurant.  (People can attest).  Here's what we consumed:

We thirsty.

The first thing we ordered upon sitting down were the margaritas (yes).  Above you see beautiful mango and strawberry margs, each with natural fruit puree.  Yummy and refreshing!

Each table gets an unlimited basket of tortilla chips and salsa.  This is dangerous, especially if you come to a restaurant starving (aka - my case).  The chips weren't as authentic (or fatty) as the ones they serve at Casa, but still pretty darn good.  Because we wanted to upgrade to an even spicier salsa than their house roja sauce, we ordered a side of their habanero jalapeno w/ pickled onion "salsa" that's not even listed on their menu (I know; I studied it, remember?)  It definitely had a kick... and made us thirstier... for more margs.

Burrito Vegetariano - $9.95

From their extensive menu including sopas, ceviches, tacos, and carne, mariscos y moles, I went with the vegetarian burrito.  (Wow, maybe I will be able to do this challenge after all!)  Sauteed asparagus and zucchini with white rice, black beans, lettuce, queso fresco and guac (no sour cream), all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla.  I wanted it to have a more spicy kick, but that was easily fixed by adding some of that hab salsa in the mix - yowza!

Burrito Mazatlan - $11.95

Because one type of burrito is not enough, my friend and I went "halfsies" and shared our respective orders.  This is the Burrito Mazatlan which had sauteed shrimp in a chile-pasila orange sauce, onions, lettuce, and guac wrapped in a flour tortilla.  It was good, but the sauce wasn't as delicious as I had hoped (it just tasted salty).

Taco Tasting - $11

My other friend was not feelin' the burritos, so he went with the taco platter.  Your choice of 5 different tacos: beef, chicken, carnitas, pibil or al pastor.  I think he got 2 al pastor, carne, chicken, and pibil.  Cochinita pibil is slow-roasted pork.

Overall the food was good and the service was very attentive.  All that enjoyed on a lovely patio (al fresco dining) under the beautiful California sun is really hard to beat.



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cuisine:  Mexican
location: Glendale, CA
website: { Frida | yelp }
hours: M-Th: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM; Fri-Sat: 11:00 AM - midnight; Sun: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
attire: Casual
parking: free 90 min. parking in lot

Raffi's Place

Hommus - $5.95

 Chicken Soltani - marinated combination of chicken barg (boneless breast of chicken, skewered and charbroiled) and chicken koobideh (ground leg and breast of chicken mixed with special spices, then charbroiled) with grilled tomato & green pepper. Served on a bed of fluffy basmati rice) - $17.95

For a brief moment, when I entered the restaurant (from Broadway), I felt like I was in another country. The shaded outdoor patio, the hearty portions of food crowding the tables, the clinking of glasses, and the happy eaters who didn't appear to be in any rush were all reminders of how dining experiences should be shared.

Once seated, the servers provided a complimentary basket of thinly-sliced pita bread with a plate of butter, radishes, raw onions, and basil-y mint. The plate was left untouched -- namely because we had no idea what to do with it -- but apparently it's standard to add those dressings to your meat or just simply wrap it in a pita and eat it. The hummus (appetizer) was tasty, the koobideh was flavorful, but the barg was slightly overcooked and less moist than desired. Although I didn't order it, the Abali Yogurt Soda seemed to be a hit on every other table. Given the portion size (aka - huge), the prices are very reasonable.

Overall, I give it a solid 4. It certainly satisfied my kebab craving, and the family-style eating environment really enhanced the whole experience. Next time, I'm going for the beef and eggplant.


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cuisine: Armenian/ Iranian

location: Glendale, CA
hours: M-Sun: 11:30am - 10pm

website: { yelp }
good for: L, D
attire: Casual
parking: street, nearby lot (free 90-min parking); valet ($2.50)

note: Don't be dissuaded by the long line; they seat you fairly quickly.