Unterman lauds Xiao Long Bao @ Yank Sing

[ChowFun_derek]

from todays Examiner she describes them( "stunned by the perfection") as being made from "delicious fat-laced kurobota pork" scallions and ginger in a delicate noodle wrapper. Says hot pork juice "floods the mouth"!

Personal experiences anyone???

[Ruth Lafler]

Melanie has written about them twice: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/42781

And the full report: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/39851...

I don't know where Unterman has been that this is news to her.

[Robert Lauriston]

That quote might have been a rerun from an old review, as this week's is on Lichee Garden. It doesn't seem to be in the examiner.com archive.

[Xiao Yang]

As much as I dislike YS generally, I've grudgingly acknowledged that they do an excellent job with XLB, although they might be the most expensive in the world.

[liujenny]

I've enjoyed the XLB at Yank Sing on many occasions. It is expensive at around $10 per order, but if my memory serves me correctly, the XLB at DinTaiFung in LA is even MORE expensive and not as good.

[Porthos]

Actually, DTF's dumplings do not run $10/ order

http://www.dintaifungusa.com/en/en_cuisine05_1.html

It's a different style of XLB compared to the XLB at Yank Sing (the way XLB at Joe's Shanghai is a different style of XLB). YS's version is very good, but I like Koi Palace's version slightly better (also not $10/order).

http://www.koipalace.com/menu/dimmenu...

The YS version was a touch on the sweet side and ruined by that odd red dipping sauce.

I'm not sure why Unterman is calling it a "noodle wrapper".

The most expensive XLB that I am aware of is the whole crab XLB at Koi...but then again, it is an entire dungeness crab deshelled, wrapped in perfect XLB wrapper, and served with a side of fried crab legs...actually a steal at $26.

[Xiao Yang]

I've not had the XLB at DTF in LA, but those served at their Shanghai locations adhere pretty much to orthodoxy, as do those at Yank Sing. I've heard that the XLB at Arcadia are not as good as in some other locations.

We had the correct vinegar (black Zhenjiang rice vinegar) for dipping at Yank Sing. but IIRC had to ask for it (they may bring the sweetened red vinegar by default).

There was an earlier discussion of the pricing at DTF in which liujenny corrected herself, but it was excised, probably for being extraneous.

[choctastic]

An order of the pork dumplings at DTF is like $8 or so but they give you more dumplings than what you get at YK, so YS is more expensive per dumpling. I still think it's a relatively cheap thrill though. You should have seen my sushi bills back in the day! But LA has so many places with surprsingly decent xlb that DTF is kind of just one in a crowd these days.

hmm, i'll have to ask for the black vinegar next time. didn't even think they would have it, so never bothered to ask.