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
-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
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
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
. 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
Register/SCNG) 2. Din Tai Fung Although it was founded in Taiwan in the 1950s, Californians have long considered this chain to be one of our own, and the location at South Coast Plaza is easily one of the brand’s swankiest outposts. People can’t get enough
of DTF’s Shanghai-style soup dumplings called xiao long bao. The shumai dumplings are outstanding, too, as is the chicken noodle soup. South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-549-3388, dintaifungusa.com Pork xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung
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
We won’t be queuing up like sardines to squeeze into Din Tai Fung again anytime soon. But we can still eat great dumplings. And dandan. And barbecue duck. While a few of Orange County’s top Chinese restaurants have closed temporarily (Fu Wing Low in
. Delivery: No. 5406 Walnut Ave., Irvine, 949-651-8886 Cumin lamb at Chong Qing Mei Wei Szechuan in Irvine (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Din Tai Fung Possibly the most famous dumplings in California. Takeout: Yes. Delivery: Doordash