Din Tai Fung

Photo by @ocwmktgdirector It’s hard to talk about JA Jiaozi without comparing it to Din Tai Fung. Outwardly, there are obvious similarities. Both give you a paper checklist onto which you scribble your order. Both focus on handmade dumplings, which

. But it’s when you get into the gritty details that the differences float to the surface. First, Din Tai Fung only shows you part of the process. At JA Jiaozi, the dumpling makers you see are also the dumpling cooks. Once formed, the jiaozis are taken

at the Marketplace in Irvine. This is, of course, all thanks to the unstoppable force called Din Tai Fung, the Taiwanese restaurant chain that made xiao long bao a household name. When it opened three years ago with seven-hour-long lines at South

Coast Plaza, it changed everything. In crossing over from the Chinese enclave of Arcadia (where it held court for years) to mainstream malls, Din Tai Fung not only introduced the xiao long bao into our culinary lexicon, but it also opened up a whole new

. Yes, it's still overhyped. No, I don't recommend you get them right now at the Din Tai Fung in South Coast Plaza. I'd say it's still a better idea to go to the Arcadia branch where the wait can be as short as ten minutes and the prices are about a buck

or two cheaper. Still, this is a list of favorite dishes, and Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbaos are about the best of its kind. Shanghainese in origin, but perfected in Taiwan by Din Tai Fung's Chinese founders, xiaolongbaos are bite-sized, soup-filled

of the trade on how to eat at Din Tai Fung South Coast Plaza. You know that opting for a seat at the bar instead of an actual table will save you about an hour's wait. You know that the correct ratio of vinegar to soy sauce for a proper slurry with

everything else you could have at Din Tai Fung, the tofu puffs and glass noodle soup is actually quite plain. Heck, some might say it's downright bland. ] It's got exactly four components: chicken broth, fried tofu puffs, tofu-skin-wrapped pork, and those

-style soup dumplings known as xiao long bao are almost as good as the ones made famous at Din Tai Fung. The orange beef, cumin lamb, barbecue pork buns and fried sesame balls are all excellent, as well. Brace for a crowd. Northern Cafe Where: 4175 Campus

There are currently four Din Tai Fungs in California. Only two have liquor licenses. One of them is the Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza, which also happens to be the only Din Tai Fung in Orange County. Apart from the option of having something

alcoholic as a chaser to your juicy pork dumplings, the liquor license means that South Coast Plaza’s Din Tai Fung actually has a bar. And this is good because the bar is like the Single Rider line at Space Mountain. When the wait for a table goes north of

reports on Din Tai Fung in Glendale leaving Americana at Brand after 10 years for the mall’s Galleria competitor. The cheesecake with a truffle supplement at San Laurel, Jose Andres’ new restaurant at the Conrad hotel in downtown L.A. (Jenn Harris / Los

I was, I confess, expecting to see a lot of mournful faces in the line outside the original U.S. Din Tai Fung in Arcadia last weekend, only a few hours before it was scheduled to shut down for a remodel. The faded strip-mall restaurant may not have

Sin World and the plumpness of the XLB at Long Xing Ji, it is also true that most of those people could be found at Din Tai Fung more often than they could at the places they supposedly liked better, although when you called them out on it they would

Din Tai Fung, the first OC outpost of the Taiwanese-based chain famous for xiaolongbaos (a.k.a. juicy pork dumplings). And if you aren't in line trying to get some, you're wondering what the fuss is about. ] “Is this line all for that restaurant?” a

?” Three hours earlier, as a Din Tai Fung devotee, I would have uttered an unequivocal yes. Now that my initial amusement at the ridiculousness of the queue had turned to exasperation and hunger, I wasn't so sure. I realized at the two-and-a-half-hour mark

Register/SCNG) Din Tai Fung A Taiwanese dumpling restaurant at the mall might not be the first place that springs to mind when talking about margaritas, but this yuzu version made with Patron and Grand Marnier is outrageously delicious. The Asian citrus

tastes like a lime crossed with grapefruit, which is tempered here with a swirl of honey. Sold in 8-ounce bottles, $19.50. South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-549-3388, dintaifungusa.com Yuzu margarita to-go from Din Tai Fung in Costa