Din Tai Fung
Is there any place just as good but cheaper?
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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007
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re: mariechoke
Try Tampa Garden Chinese Delight in Reseda. It's an unassuming place run by a family that offers Chinese dishes from different areas but does include xlb and cat's ear noodles. Keep in mind that it is no Din Tai Fung in size, showmanship or refinement. But the home made feel you get from eating here is a nice experience in a different way. Speaking Mandarin is a plus, but not speaking it won't set you back either.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/667376
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Tampa Garden
8241 Tampa Ave, Reseda, CA 91335
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Just went to MLV. We have been several times in the past. While the XLB were better in my opinion than DTF, they weren't completely steamed and there and were very difficult to remove from the serving dish without breaking. I was there with a friend who is originally from Taiwan. We got a fried pork chop that looked delicious. As I brought a piece to my mouth, I noticed that it smelled rancid. My friend exclaimed , "Oh, these places never change their oil", very nonchalantly. I asked her if I should say something. She shrugged and told me not to bother as she didn't think it would change their practice. She was pretty apathetic about. The chop went uneaten. Their pot stickers & pan fried noodles however were delicious. I still don't think I'll be back as I cannot get the memory of the rancid oil out of my mind.
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re: Fru
I had fried spareribs (which looked more like pork chops) with rice cake at J&J on Wednesday and they were delicious, not in the least bit rancid. I also like J&J's XLB a lot better than Mei Long Village. I often find that the soup has run out of the bao at MLV and that they break quite easily.
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Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776
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raytamsgv
Apr 22, 2010 11:21 AM
It depends on your criteria. If you are referring primarily to food, then I would say J&J in San Gabriel. But the decor and parking at those places aren't nearly as good as Din Tai Fung's. J&J and Mei Long Village have more extensive menus than Din Tai Fung.
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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776 -
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Can you be more specific? What do you like at DTF? Is it the xlb's? Is it their other food? What about the xlb's do you like? Do you like thin skin? Do you like thick skin? Do you just want the soupy goodness, etc?
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re: danniethepooh
>>its the dumplings with the soupy goodness inside of them that i like :)<<
That would be the xlb (xiao long bao) as you already know. Xlb falls into the dumpling category for most of us, but bao = bun, and regardless of how it looks or feels in the mouth, that's how it's classified - a bit of trivia that one day might save you on Jeopardy!
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I greatly prefer the XLB at J&J to those at Din Tai Fung. I think the filling has a lot more flavor and the bao tend to have a great deal more soup inside. And they're cheaper. I was just there today and it was excellent. I've spent a lot of time in Shanghai and Taipei and I'd be happy with J&J's XLB in either of those places. Dragon Mark and Mei Long Village - next door to J&J, also have XLB that I prefer to those at Din Tai Fung, but I like J&J the best.
J&J Shanghai, 301 W. Valley Blvd, San Gabriel
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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776Dragon Mark
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 110, San Gabriel, CA 91776 -
Mei Long Village is probably a bit cheaper (though not by any order of magnitude), and has great xiao long bao, but is more of a complete-Shanghai-menu place, not just a dumpling house. So it's not exactly apples vs. oranges, more like apples vs. pears. For what it's worth, I like them both.
Closer to Din Tai Fung (geographically), I also like Shanghai Bamboo House, and think Chang's Garden is a wee bit overrated ... but then a lot of folks here seem to disagree.
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Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776›11 Replies-
re: Bradbury
Ciao Bob
Apr 21, 2010 07:08 PM
Dragon Mark and J&J in the same complex as Mei Long Village also have xlb and, I believe I have read are much cheaper. Cannot comment on quality.
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Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776Dragon Mark
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 110, San Gabriel, CA 91776-
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re: JThur01
ipsedixit
Apr 29, 2010 09:51 PM
In that one little strip mall location you have 4 different purveyors of XLB
Dragon Mark
Mei Long Village
Jin Jiang (or J&J)
Happy KitchenMust be something in the water ...
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Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776Happy Kitchen
301 W. Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CAJin Jiang Restaurant
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 109, San Gabriel, CA 91776Dragon Mark
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 110, San Gabriel, CA 91776
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re: Bradbury
I think the OP would find it helpful to know that the shopping center that houses Mei Long Village also houses J&J/Jin Jian and Dragon Mark - both primarily offer xlb as well. And xlb are not confined to Shanghai-specific eateries - they're available at dim sum houses, Taiwanese bakeries, coffee shops, and the list goes on as these have become so popular in the past few years.
This is not to say that they are all good - they are not, but there are some "unorthodox" places where one can find very good renditions of xlb. Our last taste was at Dean Sin World on Garfield in Monterey Park. We found these to be very tasty, a reasonable amount of soup in them, steamed perfectly and very reasonable in price, which I don't exactly recall - maybe $4 and change for 10? And if you want to take some home, don't fret. Dean Sin World sells the same xlb but frozen. Take a bag of 50 xlb home and steam them yourself for about $15. They will even explain the finer points of steaming them to you but understanding Mandarin helps. Place the nappa leaf in the steamer and bring the water to a boil first. Once the steamer is up to maximum potential, it is then that you place the frozen xlb on the nappa leaf and let it steam for 20 minutes. She said that if you place the xlb in before the steamer reaches its maximum, the skins will turn flabby and weak - a high likelihood that they will tear. Don't forget to pick up the black vinegar and ginger. My wife prefers Indonesian sambal manis pedis - I know, blasphemy. And as I kowtow to Ipsedixit, I recite the mantra, "xlb are not dumplings..."
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Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 112, San Gabriel, CA 91776Dean Sin World
306 N Garfield Ave # 2, Monterey Park, CADragon Mark
301 W Valley Blvd Ste 110, San Gabriel, CA 91776
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