The Good Grub
 
Din Tai Fung
House of pancakes ...  House of waffles ...  House of dumplings? ... Queue up the little kids' song, "One of these is not like the other"... but much more importantly, which of these three would be worth giving up your left kidney?  Judging from the twenty-person-long-line waiting outside the door at 9:30AM ... thirty minutes before this place even opens ... we're going to go with the dumpling, And my friend, there's nobody doing it better than Din Tai Fung Dumpling House.  We always knew there was a reason we were friends with Jimmy L ... just waiting for that shinning moment when it would all pay off, and at last that moment has arrived.  So what exactly should you expect at the dumpling house?  Well ... um ... dumplings?  Ding, ding, ding ... we have a winner.  Of course we knew we were in for at least one order of their fan-favorite, borderline-famous, straight-up-known-for-em "juicy pork dumplings."  And I'm here to tell you, they're real ... and they're spectacular!  But what else to pair up with these little morsels of flavor-explosions.  Well why not snoop around at your neighboring tables while you wait to place your order? ... Which brings us to the Shanghai rice cakes and Szechuan shrimp wontons in a spicy sauce... and now the party has really started.  Because seriously, without a doubt, the flavors and aromas coming from our food was enough to bring us to our Good Grub knees.  This isn't your, "Oh, I like to add soy sauce to my white rice" kind of food ... this is more along the lines of "I like to listen to electronica, going 105 down a windy road in my G35 ... dousing myself with a perfect blend of salty-spicy goodness" GRUB.  If you've never been to Din Tai Fung ... first off, shame on you. But second off, they're nice enough to give you a step-by-step tutorial right on the back of the chopsticks.  But don't worry, The Good Grub will help you translate.  Step 1) Kiss the floor ... you have found the dumpling holy-land.  Step 2) As the trays of hot dumplings whiz all around you, breath deeply into a small, brown, paper bag.  Step 3)  After your first bite, resist the urge to submerge your face in the bowl of spicy Szechaun wontons ... not that it wouldn't be worth it, but come on, this is a classy establishment.  Step 4) After a thorough grubbing session, lean back, rest your hands on your happy-belly, and give us a Good Grub air-five.  Because dudes and dudettes, we know exactly what you're thinking ...  Life is good, as long as it's filled with GRUB like this ... and juicy pork.