Din Tai Fung Dumpling House - $6-8 per order

It's been a while. That's because Christmas hit the Dinettes in the pocketbook something fierce. All our pennies went to Santa instead of our mouths. But, Christmas is over. And, well, ya gotta eat.

The Dinettes went on a little detour to Arcadia, of all places. Normally, when I detour, it's usually some place exotic like Kentucky. (Huh?) This time, it's Arcadia to a little chinese dumpling house. I've been told by 3 different people - all Asian - to try it.

When we arrived, the wait was out the door. All of China eats here. So, bring some patience. I HATE waiting for food. I mean, there are so many good restaurants in L.A., that you can usually go next door or across the street and still eat well. But, how many dumpling houses are there? So, we waited 30+ minutes. These things better be good.

As soon as we got in, the host handed us an order form/menu. It had a description in english and chinese, but no price. Some of the descriptions were extremely vague, such as, "Appetizer." okay...a little more please? I don't like to order blind esp. at a chinese restaurant. Feel me?

In the lobby is a window to the kitchen where you can watch the masters at work. I'm sure they feel like they're in a fishbowl. Don't tap the glass. You can watch them roll and stretch out strands of dough with efficiency. Then, they fill them and turn them into little balls. Fascinating.

These aren't southern dumplin's made of flour with white gravy. These are little delicate pockets of flour (probably rice flour) filled with delicacies, and steamed. Think soggy potsticker, or wontons from wonton soup. They're known for a soup dumpling. You bite into it and it bursts with broth. Weekends only. Alas, we were there on a Friday.

Atmosphere: loud, crazy crowded. Clean, though. Typical chinese restaurant where you can barely hear yourself think. But, who needs to think while eating? Not a good date place unless you don't want to hear what they have to say. 1 fork.

Service: I'm not crazy about the service at chinese restaurants. And I'm chinese! They're not rude, just not friendly. They don't go out of their way to make you comfy. I had to ask for water 3 times from 3 different people. But, when we put the money down, they were quick to pick it up. 1/2 fork, and that's generous.

Bathroom: Single, and clean. For a chinese restaurant, that's an accomplishment! 4 forks!

Food: There's a plaque behind the host that exclaims, "Best of LA 2006." There are reviews by food critics hailing this place. We put them to the test. We ordered 3 types of dumplings: A) juicy pork - it's one of their signature dishes. Or this if the soup dumpling isn't available. There are 10 pieces, but each is small enough to fit into a spoon. You bite in and get a little burst of broth with the pork. Delightful. Laurie: "Melted in my mouth with flavors. The best." B) pork with crab. Laurie: "Had higher hopes for it. Just ok." Agreed. I couldn't taste the crab. Tasted just like the pork dumpling. It was just ok. We still ate the whole thing. People are starving in China. We can't just throw it away. C) chicken dumplings. Laurie: "Good. They didn't skimp." They skimped on the crab, not the chicken. They barely fit on the spoon! D) Sauteed green beans with fresh garlic. Laurie: "Best bean greens I've ever had!" Fresh, crisp, barely cooked. Fan-freaking-tastic. Dessert: sweet red beans in rice. Laurie finished the whole thing. I grew up not liking it. What's with the plastic fork that came with dessert? 4 forks.

Overall rating: 3 forks. The food is great. It's so great, I'm taking my mom and dad this Friday!
Check out their website: www.dintaifungusa.com

Next up: Another Dinette detour to a thai food festival at the Wat Thai Temple in NoHo. Whoo hoo!!!