Discover LA: Frances Kuyper's Mini Cake Museum in Los Angeles

Other than being a great foodie town, LA has much to offer and while this blog will still be primarily about my culinary experiences, I also wanted to share with you other things about LA that have definitely made me smile, think, chuckle, appreciate and so much more and hopefully, they'll also help you discover an LA you've never known before and may want to know better.


If you love baking and decorating cakes, than you should make a point of visiting Frances Kuyper's Mini Cake Museum at the Hollenbeck Home, where you can not only meet Frances, but also learn some cake decorating history.

Known as the Cake Lady, Frances started off in 1950 simply as a self-taught cake decorator and from there evolved into a writer, demonstrator, instructor and consultant for many years in the retail baking industry. She's even appeared in commercials and was even a regular on the Howie Mandal show for a time.

In 1994, she opened up the first Cake Museum in the US as a way to share her knowledge about cake decorating and pass that info to up and coming bakers. The first rendition of this cake museum originally was in a second home that she and her husband purchased to showcase the various cakes that illustrated the many and varied techniques used in cake decoration.

When her husband passed away, she moved to Hollenbeck Home and with Hollenbeck's approval, was able to move the majority of her collection into one of the rooms. That room now holds over 150 cakes from Frances' original collection.

As for the tour itself, it starts with a video demonstration of her actually decorating a cake at the same time giving background history about how she got into the cake decorating business. Unfortunately, she used to be able to do live demonstrations, but due to health reasons can no longer do so.

However, the video is really good. From it, I learned that she's the one who came up with some of the tools currently being used today for cake decorating. She was also self-taught in her earlier years and as an artist, Frances is most well known for her award-winning airbrushed portrait cakes.

After the video, she took us over to the museum, which isn't very big, but there were definitely cakes galore. In regards to the cakes, they are not edible. They're replicas made using non-edible materials. While some of the cakes are hers, some of them are also cakes from other cake decorators and all are there to show various cake decorating techniques, which Frances was happy to point out during our visit to the museum.

Even without the cake museum, it was just a pleasure to meet Frances. What an amazing person. She has just done so much in her life and what I thought was just inspiring is how she took something she was passionate about and was able to parlay it into a career that she loved. I think we definitely can learn from her.

By the way, tours are by appointment only and are absolutely FREE!

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600386938333/

To get more info and plan your own visit, go to:
http://www.hollenbeckhome.com/minicakemuseum.html

The Bloom Hasn't Worn Off at Mediterranean Garden Grill

Generally, when I write about a restaurant, it's based on a one-time experience. Even if I like it or love it, I may not go back for a variety of reasons. It may be too far or my pocketbook can only handle a yearly visit. Usually, it's because I love eating out and checking out other eateries so much that I'd rather concentrate on new finds as opposed to re-visiting old haunts. However, if a restaurant scores the double whammy of serving delicious food and being close to where I live, than I will take the opportunity to re-visit it. Such is the case with the Mediterranean Garden Grill in Monrovia.

Before I go any further, I want to mention that it's an interesting restaurant space. My first visit there was during lunch time and the dining room had an enclosed patio kind of feel with the windows open to let the air in, but at a later dinner visit, they closed up all the windows and it felt like a regular indoor restaurant.

As mentioned, my first meal there was for lunch. Wanting something a little tart, I started with the beautifully pink pickle plate. Silly question, but why are those pickles pink and are they actually cucumbers or a different pickled vegetable altogether? I've always wanted to know.


While I was perusing the menu, an appetizer caught my eye, so I decided to order the Mouhamana, which is chopped walnuts with spicy red peppers and pomegranate juice. I loved the mixture of flavors that included nutty, sweet, tangy and with a little kick. I could have easily just eaten that with the pita bread or even just crackers and I would have been happy, but soon enough, my lule kebab arrived.

Lule Kebab is lean ground beef mixed with onions and spices, seasoned, skewered and grilled, served with rice, grilled vegetables and a pita bread. Taking my first look at it, I really could see all the seasonings embedded in the meat and with just my first bite, I could taste all the great flavors the seasonings imparted. Surprisingly, even though the ground beef was lean, meaning less fat, the lule kebab still had a little juiciness to it and of course, I loved the texture of its charred surface.

I wasn't even considering dessert, but an enticing photo of their Ashta dessert was just too irresistible. Ashta is sheramoya fruit mixed with whipped cream and rose water and sprinkled with crushed pistachios and honey and this tasty mixture is placed on top of fresh cut bananas. Wow, what an awesome dessert. I'd go back just for this. It was a light and refreshing dessert, absolutely perfect anytime, but maybe even more so on a warmer day.

My first visit was definitely a hit, so much so that I went back a few days later and unfortunately, that was not a good experience. I was seated, got a glass of water, perused the menu and made my choices and than proceeded to wait and wait and wait. The restaurant wasn't that busy. There was only one large group on the other side of the room and me. Granted, I could have waved someone over, but come on. My menu was down and there were waiters walking back and forth in front of my table. One of them could have stopped to ask me if I was ready to order. I decided to clock how long it would take for a waiter and after 10 minutes, I just walked out.

I wasn't sure if a third visit would be imminent, but I really enjoyed the food so I thought I'd give it another try. This time, I brought a friend for dinner a couple of weeks later. I'm not sure if they had remembered me walking out or perhaps, the wait staff was just more attentive that evening, but this time around, the service was much better.

For my second meal there, my friend and I shared the marinated and seasoned black and green olives as well as the Baba Ghanouj, which is basically BBQ eggplant and sesame paste. What I liked about the Baba Ghanouj was that it was full of chunky eggplant goodness and not pureed down to the point that you're not even sure if there's eggplant in the dish.

As for my entree, I ordered the Beef Shawarma, which is basically seasoned and marinated pan flamed beef brochettes served with tahini sauce, rice and hummus. I actually preferred the lule kebab that I had at my first visit. The beef was a little chewier than I would have liked and needed a little more flavor. I did get a chance to sample my friend's Chicken Shawarma and thought the chicken was nicely seasoned and was even tender and juicy. This time, no room for dessert. It wasn't as stellar a meal as at my first visit, but still pretty good.

The very last time I visited, I was in the mood for soup and ordered their Swiss Char Lentil Soup, which is vegetarian. The ingredients for this soup are whole lentils cooked with Swiss char and roasted garlic and the flavor is both tangy and lemony, flavors near and dear to my Filipino palate.

Except for that one major hiccup on my second visit, I really enjoy dining at the Mediterranean Garden Grill and with it being only a few miles away, I can always give in to my Ashta and Swiss Char and Lentil Soup craving whenever I'd like, or at least when the restaurant is open.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157610169651215/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157612218331081/

Mediterranean Garden Grill
335 W. Foothill Blvd.
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 301-0555
http://www.mediterraneangardengrill.com/

Discover LA: Alex Theater in Glendale

Other than being a great foodie town, LA has much to offer and while this blog will still be primarily about my culinary experiences, I also wanted to share with you other things about LA that have definitely made me smile, think, chuckle, appreciate and so much more and hopefully, they'll also help you discover an LA you've never known before and may want to know better.

Since 1925, the Alex Theatre has been a fixture on Brand Boulevard in Glendale and 82 years later is still going strong. It initially first opened its doors as part Vaudeville Theater and part motion picture theater. During the late 20s through to the 50s, the Alex served as more of a preview house for major Hollywood movie releases, so quite a few glamorous movie stars made their way to the Alex.

In terms of architecture, the Alex features Egyptian and Greek motifs, but in the 1940s, Charles Lee, a famous movie theater designer, added a 100 foot tall Art Deco neon tower with a spiked starburst at the top, which is still there to this day.


Another thing that makes the Alex Theatre unique is that it's an "atmospheric theater." According to the Alex Theater website:

"The auditorium of the theatre is designed as an "atmospherium" with an open air illusion enhanced by the stage-set wall encircling the auditorium, creating the feeling of being enclosed in an ancient garden."


So why am I telling you all this? Well, because I want to encourage you to take a tour of the Alex Theatre like I've done in the past and what better way than to give you some tidbits of information? :) Tours are offered twice a year and are FREE. Now how can you go wrong with a FREE tour?


On the tour, you'll learn more about the history about the Alex as well as visit parts of this historic theater, not normally open to the public like the dressing rooms, the projector room, etc. With eateries close by, you can make an afternoon of with it with lunch at one of the local restaurants. Now that's a nice way to spend an afternoon.


To find out tour dates and times, visit the Alex Theatre website below:
http://www.alextheatre.org/about/backstagetour.php

To see pics I took of the tour I went on, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600035496366/

Quality Mexican Cuisine in My Own Backyard at Serrano's Mexican Kitchen - CLOSED

Isn't it interesting how people will drive miles and miles away from your own neighborhood just for a good meal, but sometimes forget to check out what's in their immediate vicinity? A few years back, I was exactly the same way, but now as I drive through the familiar streets of my town, I try to keep my eyes peeled for any new or at least unfamiliar restaurants that may pop up. One day, a tiny eatery called Serrano's Mexican Kitchen caught my attention, so I kept it on my radar as a future meal stop.

One evening, I went with my family to check it out and boy, am I glad I did. In comparison to the Mexican restaurants currently in Duarte, Serrano's is the best this city has, but even just on its own, Serrano's is simply superb! Since my first visit, I've been back a few times. What draws me repeatedly is the quality of the food.

For example, I love their corn tortillas, which are thick and holds well when you're eating a soft taco. I've eaten my share of soft tacos where just lifting one up can become a mess as it rips apart and the taco filling ends up all over your fingers and plate. I have never had that problem with Serrano's tacos and while the fillings will fall out, at least my tortillas stay intact.

The other great thing about their soft tacos is their generous portions. Generous in the sense that the meat filling isn't hidden under mounds and mounds of lettuce and vegetables to the point that you're not even sure if you ordered a beef taco or a chicken taco or that there's even any meat there at all. Instead, you get wonderfully seasoned meaty tacos that are dressed simply with fresh diced onions, cilantro and your choice of one of their homemade salsas.

I also really enjoy their beef taquitos. You'd think that there's not much to taquitos and that how can you possibly ruin them? Oh, but you can. I've had taquitos that are over cooked to the point that it's a chore to even bite into them because they're just so hard. If you do happen to get your chompers into them, what you may pull out with your teeth are long pieces of meat that are dry and chewy. Like the tacos, the taquitos at Serrano's use the same tortillas which gives them a bready texture, but one that's has a nice crisp to it. The beef filling is also tender and moist.

Other items that have made me a happy diner include their milanesa steak, which was coated with a golden crispy batter and actually stays on while you cut into the meat. I've also tried their sopes and their quesadillas. So far, everything I have tried has been good to excellent and everyone who I've directed there has come back to me with kudos.

So the moral of the story is, that in your search for a good meal, always check out what's in your neighborhood. You may just find your next favorite eatery.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157611823165819/

Serrano's Mexican Kitchen
2171 E. Huntington Drive
Duarte, CA 91010
(626) 359-4959

Discover LA: Farmer John's Hog Wild Mural in Vernon

Other than being a great foodie town, LA has much to offer and while this blog will still be primarily about my culinary experiences, I also wanted to share with you other things about LA that have definitely made me smile, think, chuckle, appreciate and so much more and hopefully, they'll also help you discover an LA you've never known before and may want to know better.

If you're one who likes to go hog wild, you may find the mural surrounding the Farmer John Brand Clougherty Meat Packing Company in Vernon, CA, just your thing. It certainly got my attention - so much so that I whipped out my camera and took photos from one end of the mural to the other.

The mural basically depicts farm landscapes where you can see fields, trees, corn, barns, etc and of course, lots of pigs, big and small. Some of the pigs are happy and carefree, either laying in the grass, playing in the mud or with each other, flying airplanes, sleeping in hammocks and interacting with everyone from a buxom hill billy gal to keeping a boy company while he's fishing to pulling a wagon for a Gladiator wanna-be.

Other pigs are trotting happily following a road and "Farmer John" signs to what they think is probably OZ, but is actually a smokehouse or a greased pig contest. A variety of other animals also grace this mural like dogs, chicks, quails, hawks, crows and probably even more that I may have missed this time around.

If you'd like to know the history of this mural, it basically goes like this. In 1957, Barney Clougherty, then owner of Farmer John, was approached by Les Grimes, a talented painter of scenic backgrounds for Hollywood movie sets, to decorate the outside of his building. With Barney's blessing, Grimes spent the next eleven years working on his "masterpiece." Unfortunately, Grimes died in a fall from a fifty- foot scaffolding he was using to paint a portion of the sky on the mural.

After Grimes' death, Clougherty hired Arno Jordan to finish the murals. Arno Jordan continued the legacy by painting new murals and restoring Grimes' originals. To noted art dealer Ivan C. Karp, the murals are "a fundamental tract for West Coast vernacular painting." What's great about this mural is that it includes several gatefold plates of entire walls. Now that's some great detail. The plant was purchased by Hormel who intends to maintain the murals.

To see the the photos I took of the mural, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600117263368/

To check out the mural for yourself, here's the address below:

Farmer John
3049 E. Vernon Avenue
Vernon, CA 90058

Korean Soon Tofu Soup Explorations in Koreatown and SGV

The chill is in the air (literally), which means it's perfect soup weather and if you're someone like me who loves strong, bold flavors than sometimes the only kind of soup that will do is Korean Soon Tofu or Dubu (depending on who you ask). But before I talk about 6 restaurants that serve these sizzling bowls of tofu soup, let's learn a little more about tofu and Korean tofu soups.

What is Tofu?

Before we can even delve into Korean Soon Tofu Soup, first, a quick introduction for tofu itself. Tofu (the Japanese "Romaji" spelling), also called doufu (the Chinese "Pinyin" spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. The making of tofu from soy milk is similar to the technique of making cheese from milk. Wheat gluten, or seitan, in its steamed and fried forms, is often mistakenly called "tofu" in Asian or vegetarian dishes.

There are basically three types of tofu: soft/silken tofu, Asian firm tofu and Western firm/dried tofu. For Korean Soon Tofu Soups, the tofu of choice is the soft/silken tofu.

What is Soft/Silken Tofu?

This undrained tofu contains the highest moisture content of all fresh tofus. Its texture can be described as similar to that of very fine custard. In Korea and Japan, traditional soft tofu is made with seawater which has an even higher moisture content and is often eaten as a dessert, but sometimes with salty pickles or hot sauce added instead. Because it is nearly impossible to pick up this type of tofu with chopsticks, it is generally eaten with a spoon.

What is Korean Soon Tofu Soup?

In Korea, tofu is often served not as a substitute for meat, but alongside it, with a small amount of meat flavoring enriching the silken tofu, which adds its incomparable body and mouth feel.

The Korean specialty soon dubu (tofu) chigae (soup or stew) combines soft tofu, spicy broth and bits of meat or seafood or kimchi. Like all Korean soups and stews, it is served hot enough to boil an egg, which is exactly what you do; at "soon houses" all over the world.

Now that you've learned more about Korean Soon Tofu Soup, let's talk about some Korean Soon Tofu Houses in the LA area that you may or may not wish to check out for yourself.

BCD Tofu House

I've heard people refer to BCD Tofu House as the McDonald's of Tofu Houses in general. Now this could be a bad thing or a good thing depending on how you feel about McDonald's. I decided to go with an open mind, although I mentally prepared myself for food that might probably be just ok. Lo and behold, it was just ok, if not disappointing. The panchan was pretty uninspired with the fried fish, more chewy than crispy and with kimchi that was downright bland. Both the pork bulgogi and beef kalbi had at least some flavorand a little bit of caramelization from being grilled, but both meat dishes were too oily.

As for the Original Premium Tofu with Seafood that I ordered with a medium spice, I might as well have ordered the "white" version of this soup, which comes without any spices at all. I was expecting some heat, but got embers instead and maybe, just one ember at that, plus the soup itself seemed a bit watery. The tofu, which was soft, maybe even a little mushy was by no means close to being silky. Definitely no repeat visit for me.

BCD Tofu House
869 S Western Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 380-3807

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600361545026/

Beverly Soon Tofu

At Beverly Soon Tofu, our meal started with a tofu appetizer topped with seaweed in a bowl of sesame oil. The tofu was so airy and cloud-like that it definitely bode well for things to come. The panchan was also a step above BCD and of a much better quality. The bean sprouts and cucumber were cool and crunchy and the kimchi had a nice kick to it. Before our soon tofu soups arrived, we shared a bowl of bibimbap, which had white rice topped with lettuce, carrots, beef short ribs bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu, a fried egg as well as other items. With the addition of the chili paste tossed with the bibimbap, it could have easily been a meal onto itself and a delicious one at that.

Finally, our soups arrived. I ordered the beef and kimchee soon tofu, which was steaming away when it hit the table and of course, hot enough to cook the raw egg I broke into the bowl. It looked and smelled good and my firste was sheer heaven. The soup itself was flavorful, full-bodied and rich. Care was definitely put into the making of it. Just like the tofu appetizer we had earlier, the tofu in the soup was soft, silky and gave you the feeling that it was going to melt away in your mouth. If only this tofu house was closer to where I lived, I'd probably be a dedicated repeat customer.

Beverly Soon Tofu
2717 W Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-1113

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157601033439904/

Sokongdong Soon Tofu

With Sokongdong right across the street from Beverly Soon Tofu, they make for natural competitors and in my research to find out which tofu houses had the most buzz, both Sokongdong and Beverly Soon Tofu always came up with the most raves. After a stellar dining experience at BST, I was definitely looking forward to making the comparison.

First, a quickie note about the panchan. I like the panchan a little better at BST for more variety and plus I felt that the chili used for the kimchi cabbage and cucumbers seemed just a tad vinegary. Sokongdong is also known for their raw chili crab which was part of the panchan, but there was so little meat that all you were left with was licking the chili sauce off the shell, if you were so inclined. We also ordered dumplings (mandu) and were pretty much underwhelmed. The dumpling skin seemed really thick and the meat filling didn't seem seasoned enough.

Finally, the soon tofu soups arrived. I ordered the soon tofu soup with beef. I have to say that it was that tofu soup that saved the day. Just like BST, the soup was rich, chock full of flavor with a nice heat to it and the tofu had a nice silkiness to it as well. I can see why people go back and forth between BST and Sokongdong; however, my vote goes to Beverly Soon Tofu. There are just too many more things I like, food-wise and even atmosphere-wise, more at BST than Sokongdong.

Sokongdong Soon Tofu
2716 W Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 380-3737
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603587024078/

Young Dong Tofu

In my other explorations, I also came upon Young Dong Tofu in San Gabriel. I think it's part of a small chain since there's also one in Arcadia. When I initially tried to find some reviews about Young Dong, I couldn't find much information about it. Of course, now there's a whole slew of Yelp reviews about it. However, with it being a closer drive than Koreatown, I decided to take a chance and check it out and I have to say that I'm glad I did.

At Young Dong, along with 5 panchan dishes, you also got a miniature dressed lettuce salad, a green onion pancake and rice in a stone bowl. The last three items mentioned did not come as side dishes in the 3 tofu houses mentioned above, although BCD did have one large piece of lettuce as part of their tofu set. The panchan at Young Dong Tofu was definitely on the mark for me, definitely better than BCD ad Sonkongdong and almost good as BST. The panchan tasted fresh and crisp and speaking of crispy, I also enjoyed the onion pancake. When it arrived, I could already tell I was going to enjoy it when I spotted its browned crispy edges.

As for the soon tofu soup, while not as complex as either BST or Sokongdong, the soup was satisfying and the tofu soft to the palate. I also enjoyed how green onions were a more prominent ingredient in Young Dong's soon tofu soup compared to BCD and Sokongdong where there was just a limited quantity and BST where there were none at all. The green onions added a nice subtle hit of grassiness that I appreciated. Young Dong for me, was a nice find.

Young Dong Tofu
927 E. Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91778
(626) 286-6031

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603587132800/

Young Dong Garden

Young Dong Garden, unlike the 4 restaurants mentioned above, isn't a tofu house and while it serves soon tofu soup, it doesn't specialize in it. I was definitely curious as to how it would compare and let me tell you, eating the soon tofu soup there was like eating a xia long bao at a Hunan restaurant as opposed to a Shanghai restaurant.

Before I even get to the soup, I have to give some mentions about the panchan and the other food I ordered. One word. Terrible. The panchan wasn't fresh, with browning bean sprouts and veggies that lacked any kind of crunch or crispness. As for the bulgogi, the meat looked really pale as if it wasn't grilled enough plus I think the seasoning was still hiding in the spice jars. The dumplings/mandu looked better than they tasted - unseasoned, oily and with a funny, strange after taste.

When the tofu soup arrived, I was hoping it would save my meal, but it didn't. The soup had some good flavor, but was so thick that a fork would have stood upright in the middle of the bowl with no worry about it falling down. Inside the soup, the tofu was a little mushy and it didn't help that the soup in general cooled down really quickly. Lukewarm soon tofu soup is just not right. Needless to say, I'm never going back.

Young Dong Garden
19 Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 698-6198

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157611315888474/

Myung Dong Tofu Restaurant

My first ever experience with soon tofu soup was at Myung Dong Tofu Restaurant, namely because compared to Koreatown, this restaurant is a closer Eastside choice for me. I have to say that it's actually a remarkable that I've become a repeat customer. At my first visit, I really enjoyed the panchan, the savory pancake and the tasty, albeit greasy, kalbi; however, my mushroom soon tofu soup seemed watered down. For my second visit, I again enjoyed everything but the soup itself, which this time had a strange, metallic, tangy after taste that I didn't like at all.

It seemed pointless to return for a third time, so for awhile, I traveled elsewhere for soon tofu soup, even if that meant hitting the freeways to Koreatown and of course, a whole new world of soon tofu goodness opened up to me. However, I didn't want to drive to Koreatown every time I had a soon tofu soup craving, so I decided to give Myung Dong Tofu, one final chance.

I'm glad I did. Finally, I got a bowl of soon tofu soup that I actually liked. The broth is still a little too watery for my taste and the tofu is far from being clouds of tofu bliss, but it has a nice amount of spice and since then, it has hit the spot every time I've visited. Not as good as Beverly Soon or Sokongdong, but definitely way above BCD and certainly Yong Dong Garden.

Myung Dong Tofu Restaurant
1025 S. Glendora Avenue
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 338-0414

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600143784574/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157610177155209/

Anyway, although my thoughts aren't comprehensive, I hope that you found my experiences helpful and if you've never tried Korean Soon Tofu Soup before, than you should give it a try and perhaps, you've seen some viable options in this write-up worth checking out for yourself.

"Xiao Long Bao" Crawl in San Gabriel Valley

As you're reading the title of this blog entry, you may be wondering exactly what is an "xiao long bao" or XLB for short. While no expert, this is what I came up with in my initial research about this tasty dumpling treat.

To start, xiao long bao (literally "little basket bun"; also known as a soup dumpling) is a type of baozi (filled bun or bread-like item) from the Southern provinces of China, including Shanghai and Wuxi. Xiao Long Baos are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets, hence the name.

It can be filled with hot soup and meat and/or vegetarian fillings, as well as other possibilities. The fillings are wrapped in something like a jiaozi wrapper that turns almost translucent after being steamed. Also referred to as Shanghai steamed buns or juicy dumplings, they can be recognized by their unique design, as the filled wrapper is gathered up into fine folds at the top, prior to steaming.

One way to eat your XLB generally involves pouring Chinese black vinegar into the small saucer which contains ginger that usually arrives with your order. Gently dip the dumpling into the vinegar and than deposit onto a Chinese soup spoon. Take a bite out of the skin and sip the soup out. Then you can drizzle some vinegar on top along with the ginger and then enjoy the rest of the dumpling. Of course, there are may be other ways to eat XLBs, but in the end, just find the way that works best for you, keeping in mind that the soup coming out of the dumpling may be quite hot.

Those of you familiar with the San Gabriel Valley know that we are blessed with some of the best and authentic Chinese dining outside of China itself. What's even more exciting is that there is quite a of variety of regional Chinese cooking styles reflected in the restaurants in the area, which is why I actually had to narrow my choices down to just 4 for the "Xiao Long Bao" crawl that I set up for my dining group. Of the 4, I've already visited three on separate occasions, but this time I wanted to have more of a "side by side" comparison. The crawl started in a shopping plaza in the city of San Gabriel because there were literally three Shanghai restaurants right next to each other that served XLBs.

Our first stop was Mei Long Village where our group of 8 sat down and ordered an order each of their Crab and Pork XLBs and their Pork XLBs. When asked if we wanted anything else, I simply said No and believe me, we got some very puzzled looks from the wait staff during our short time there. Those puzzled looks basically followed us into the next two restaurants as well.

Soon both sets of XLBs arrive. By the way, as you're looking at my photos, you may notice that I add black vinegar to my Chinese Spoon before adding the XLB. My personal preference is to sip the soup along with the vinegar. Anyway, back to the soup dumplings. First, I want to comment on the dumpling wrapper, which while not as thin as the ones at the famed Din Tai Fung or as thick as the ones at J&J, which we'll be visiting later on, it still retained some delicate characteristics. It was a happy medium. As for the soup inside, it had a good amount, but while the pork filling was seasoned well, the crab/pork filling actually was literally a little hard and the crab flavors were not shining through, but for the most part, the soup dumplings at Mei Long Village were a good start for our crawl.

Next up was Dragon Mark, which was right next door. At Dragon Mark, they only had the Pork XLBs on the menu, so that's what we ordered. When it came to appearance, they were smaller and tighter than the soup dumplings we had at Mei Long Village. They actually fit quite compactly on my spoon whereas the MLV dumplings didn't. We were hoping that good things came in small packages. Unfortunately, while the pork filling itself was quite tasty, everything else fell beyond the mark, pun intended. The dumpling skin was thick, a little hard to bite into and there was hardly any soup to speak of. It was definitely time to move on.

Our next stop was J&J, right next door to Dragon Mark. Compared to MLV and Dragon Mark, this was the busiest of the three Shanghai restaurants which definitely was a good sign. At J&J, the menu had both pork and crab/pork XLBs and of course, we ordered both. One thing to note here is that the XLBs on the menu are referred to as Steamed Pao, so that's what you'd actually order. Soon the dumplings arrived and compared to Dragon Mark and even to MLV, they were quite bountiful.

While not delicate like at MLV or hard like at DM, the dumpling skin for the J&J XLBs was thick and a little chewier, but given the filling, the skin was perfect for what was needed. As for the fillings, remember how I mentioned the word "bonanza" earlier? J&J's soup dumplings were amazing. The crab/pork XLB was definitely the hit with the entire group.

Whereas with the MLV crab/pork soup dumpling, you could barely make out the crab, the J&J version was chock full of crabby flavor and along with J&J's pork XLB, both of them really brought a new definition to the words "soup dumpling." If the skin was any thinner, the soup probably would be leaking out. J&J definitely was not shy when it came to the amount of soup in their XLBs, especially when in immediate comparison to the stinginess of the XLBs we had at Dragon Mark.

If we had ended our XLB crawl at J&J, no one would have complained. That's how happy we were about J&J, but how can you do a true XLB comparison without stopping by Din Tai Fung, the restaurant who many feel serves the best soup dumplings in town, so DTF became the last stop in our journey and for that we piled into cars and made the trip to Arcadia.

Although our primary reason to visit Din Tai Fung was their soup dumplings, both their pork and crab/pork XLBs, we decided to order a few other items as well. Since most of us have never had their regular non-soupy dumplings, we got the chicken dumplings and the shrimp/pork dumplings. Both were tasty and while not soupy, their fillings were moist and were seasoned well.

Other additions included the Shanghai rice cakes and the prettily presented rice and pork shiaomai. We also ordered red bean steamed dumplings which was a first for me since my usual experience with red bean fillings is in something fried/deep fried. The other dishes we ordered did not disappoint.

So now on to the famed Din Tai Fung XLBs, which were an interesting mix of the other three soup dumplings we tried. The dumpling skin was delicate or actually more delicate than the MLV version so I felt like I had to take extra care picking them up with my chopsticks. They were small and compact like the Dragon Mark version. Like the J&J version, these soup dumplings were definitely soupy and overall, I can see why the Din Tai Fung XLBs always gets lots of praise. What's also fun about DTF is that you can actually see the dumpling makers at work through glass windows.

In the past, DTF has been my go to place for soup dumplings. However, after these side-by-side comparisons, my 7 other dining companions and myself came to one conclusion. Simply, of the 4 XLB versions we tried, we all liked the soup dumplings at J&J the best with the crab/pork being the top choice overall.

While we liked the DTF soup dumplings, the flavors of the fillings seemed almost too subtle. What J&J had over DTF was a bolder flavor. Simply, you took a bite out of the J&J crab and pork soup dumpling and you could really taste the crab and their pork XLBs really tasted "porky." Our group also felt that the J&J XLBs had more soup and that the soup was more flavorful overall. In general, the conclusion of this whole XLB crawl was a bit unexpected. I really thought that Din Tai Fung would win the day, but for this group of diners, DTF was second place followed by Mei Long Village, with Dragon Mark being a distant last.

Overall, it was a really fun foodie experience and the fact that I was able to do something that involved visiting 4 different Shanghai restaurants just to eat one specific type of regional ethnic food is one of the main reasons I love dining in Los Angeles. I'm pretty sure that restaurants serving xiao long baos in close proximity to each other is not something you'll find in just any town across the US, so I definitely consider myself very lucky. One last thing to mention is that between the 8 of us, this crawl cost us around $16 each, with the bulk of the money spent at Din Tai Fung since we had ordered other dishes. So if you want to do a little XLB exploring on your own, pull a few friends together and maybe your outcome would differ from ours.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157610565855764/

Mei Long Village
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91778
(626) 308-9238

Dragon Mark
301 W Valley Blvd # 110
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 282-5953

J&J
301 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91804
(626) 308-9238

Din Tai Fung
1108 S. Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia , CA 91007
626-574-7068