My Weekend Passport » Greater LA Area

Din Tai Fung Taipei: Steamy little buns, anyone?

Alex @mwp — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 06:29:35 +0000

There’s really very little I can say about Din Tai Fung that hasn’t already been said in all the various travel books, magazines, and blogs about Taiwan. Open up any of them, and the top must-visit eatery in Taipei that gets mentioned will just about always be the famous Din Tai Fung. Any travel guide or tour of Taiwan without it would be incomplete. Its fame goes back to the 90′s, when it was selected as one of the world’s top ten restaurants by New York Times.

My history with DTF goes way back to my childhood around that same time. I remember back before my teenage years, I would enjoy coming to Taiwan every summer with my family to visit the family overseas. And every trip would include a pilgrimage to the Din Tai Fung on XinYi Road (the original location). At that location, the kitchen is on display right by the front door so that everyone can see what incredible technique they use to make sure each dumpling is uniformly made for consistent cooking. It’s a very well-oiled machine, and it needs to be, to fulfill the hungry masses that come every minute for their juicy buns, better known as Xiao Long Bao.

These perfectly shaped buns are filled with mostly with pork (sometimes shrimp) and small gelatinous stuff that, when melted in the steamer, give off the juice in the buns. This picture actually took four tries to take, because at my table, you’re never fast enough to snap a shot of all eight before someone jacks one of them. Seriously, I have maybe four or five pictures where I have 6 out of 8 buns in shot. I guess my family got full by the time we ordered our last set.

Since my childhood, they’ve expanded. A lot. There’s now branches all over Asia, including many in Japan, China, Australia, and a Southern California outpost in Arcadia. I’ve been to the one in Arcadia a few times, and honestly, I think it’s just as good. It’s nowhere near the same experience, but I would have their Xiao Long Bao, fried rice, or chicken soup any day of the week.

These warm buns have a black sesame filling – sweeter stuff for the end of your meal. You’ll notice that the skins are much thinner and there are many more swirls to the top. I can’t tell you why that is… I can only tell you that they are yummy.

Man, what’s not good at Din Tai Fung? Of course, their staple is the delicious Xiao Long Bao, but curious eaters should feel free to explore the rest of their menu. Personally, I’m as big a fan of their chicken soup as I am of the xiao long bao. My favorite remedy for the common cold, or an empty stomach.

This will always be my definition of comfort food, even though it is now a huge tourist attraction for Taiwan.

Din Tai Fung (Taipei)
Multiple locations in Taipei and Taiwan

Din Tai Fung (USA)
1088 South Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007

Golden Deli: Pho the win!

Alex @mwp — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:01:08 +0000

A while ago, I discovered that the best remedy for a hangover was a nice, large, warm bowl of good pho. My previous best remedies included mashed potatoes and gravy and the spiciest bowl of gumbo I could get my hands on, but now for me, there’s nothing that beats a good bowl of pho. Why? Maybe it’s the noodles soaking up those toxins, the flavorful broth reminding your tongue what things tasted like before tequila, or maybe it’s the msg putting your body into a euphoric comatose state. Whatever the case, it just gets the jackhammer inside my skull to stop for a while.

This past weekend, I had a friend in need after a night of hard partying in Hollywood. He looked pretty bad in the morning, so being the helpful friend that I am, I took him out east to “Where the Asian things are” for some delicious pho at Golden Deli. About five bites in, he already started to look much better.

No matter what state of mind you are in when you sit down at the Golden Deli, you will have your taste buds dancing to the tune of their noodle soup. So far, this is the best bowl of pho I’ve had in Los Angeles–and quite possibly anywhere in California for that matter. The broth they use to cook your raw meats in is unbelievably flavorful and needs no addition of condiments. A shame really, because I love making a happy face with the hoisin and sriracha sauces.

A friend introduced it to me about a year back and I’ve tried to fit a trip out at least once a month to fill my pho cravings. It’s got 4 stars and 300+ reviews on Yelp, so you know that the web-savvy foodies approve (for whatever that’s worth to you). One of the best comments I’ve seen is “If I were baptized in a bowl of their #1, I would [surely] go to heaven.” You might think that’s blasphemous, but that’s only because you haven’t tried it yet.

If you come, expect a wait and a very casual setting. Once you do get a seat (much quicker if you avoid busy hours), you’ll likely feel rushed by how quickly they want to take your order, have you pay your bill, and turn the table over. It’s not unusual to get the bill placed on the side of your table only five minutes after you’ve gotten your food, and if you don’t have your cash out, they will actually slide the bill closer to you whenever they walk by–just in case you didn’t notice it the first time. This very casual, to-the-point environment is hardly a deterrent from enjoying your bowl of pho. I’m just warning you not to bring a date that you would like to have a nice, long meal with.

If the wait is too much, there is the lesser known Vietnam House across the street that is their sister restaurant. Word is the food is the same over there with less rush. You can find both restaurants on Las Tunas in San Gabriel, just west of Mission.

Go and eat here. I’m not pho-king around.

Golden Deli Vietnamese Restaurant

815 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Happy Week in the OC

Alex @mwp — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:34:53 +0000

Dealing with stress from taxes? Tough days at work? Or just need another reason to get out to eat and drink?

OC people, rejoice! All next week, dozens of restaurants are having specials, including prix fixe happy hour drink and dine menus. They will also offer happy hour all DAY, so there’s no need to try to fight your way through traffic to make it to a bar before 7pm. This helps me out, because I can barely make it to the westside in time for HH during the week, let alone Orange County.

The list of restaurants range from chains such as Ruth’s Chris, Karl Strauss, and Melting Pot to Downtown Disney tourist attractions and local bistros. Their website lists out all the restaurants participating as well as the menu they will offer for the week.

Check out their website here. Also, peep their list of restaurants.

On a side note: It’s good to be back in LA after the roller coaster of the last few weeks. I should have ample ammunition for new entries on weekend getaways now.

Cheers!

Sand Dune Park: Vertical Challenge

Alex @mwp — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:54:20 +0000

“I bet you I could run up and down this thing 7 times!”

“Ok, you’re on.”

10 minutes later…

*huff* *puff*

“How many was that?”

“You’ve done three. and you WALKED the last two.”

Sand Dune, ONE. Alex, big fat ZERO.

For those of you that like some outdoor exercise, check out Sand Dune Park, located off Rosecrans in Manhattan Beach. It’s a beach-like workout without the actual beach and is a popular spot for people to do some fun, vertical conditioning. Beware: The hill is steep. Steeper than pictures indicate. I’d describe it as somewhere between a Blue and a Black Diamond slope (maybe 50-60 degrees). So, collect all your facts before you challenge a friend into a run-off where the loser buys beers.

There’s two sides of the hill, one for kids and one for adults. I really recommend sticking to their guidelines and running on the appropriate side. If not, don’t say I didn’t warn you that a 7 year old kid will be plowing into you at full downhill speed screaming at the top of his lungs! The kids’ side actually appears to be the steeper (but shorter) of the two, and I usually don’t see too many kids here unless it’s a weekend afternoon. Parking is available on Bell St., which you can enter from Rosecrans.

Oh and don’t wear shoes. And please try not to kick sand up as you run into other people’s faces!

Today, I didn’t even have to use my A.K.

Alex @mwp — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:23:02 +0000

I gotta say that it was a good day.

To Do in LA

Alex @mwp — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:14:35 +0000

In my first week in Los Angeles (back in Fall 2007), I had a slow day at work so I began to compile a list of things that I wanted to do while living in LA. A couple chicken-scratch scribbles on cocktail napkins led to a dedicated notepad that evolved into what you see above. With the help of some coworkers, my wall became filled with little post-its of things to do in LA.

Since then, I’ve vowed to do my best to take all those post-its off my wall before I leave Southern California. Unfortunately, every weekend where I think I’ve made some headway and pulled things off the wall, new ones just keep popping up. A short snippet of the list is here:

Go to a Lakers game
Visit the Getty Center and Getty Villa
Universal Studios backlot tour
Go to a Dodgers game
Take a date to Santa Monica Pier
Ride the X-2, Superman, and Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Go to a movie premiere
Go to Disneyland and California Adventures
Sunday drive on Mulholland
Take a picture in front of the Hollywood Sign
Be filmed as an extra
See the Rose Bowl Parade on New Years Day
Celebrate Halloween in West Hollywood
Art Walk in Downtown LA
Watch an outdoor show at the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater
Find your favorite celebrity’s star on the Walk of Fame
Go window shopping at Rodeo Drive
Eat a famous Pink’s Hot Dog
Eat a Sprinkles cupcake
Skating/Biking down Venice Beach
Hike Runyon Canyon
Take a boat trip to go snorkeling in Catalina
Surfing in Zuma / El Porto / Huntington Beach
Go to a USC football game
Attend the Coachella music festival

This list has inspired me to keep trying out everything LA has to offer and still does. My official scorecard will be kept here: http://myweekendpassport.com/thelist/