This, That, and The Other Thing

Whenever Sandra and I go on a food adventure nothing has ever gone as planned. This trip was no exception because we were actually heading for Silva’s Brazilian Grill. The owner suddenly decided to be closed on Mondays with a sign reading, “Come back on Tuesday”. The heck with that, so since we were close to South Coast Plaza, why not try Din Tai Fung. How busy could it be on a Monday afternoon. I’ll tell you how busy, there was a 45 minute to one hour wait. The hostess did say that Mondays were their slow days. I have been wanting to try this place ever since it replaced Rainforest Café (which by the way was my granddaughter’s favorite birthday eating place from ages 1-10). It must be good if there is always a waiting line, right? Absolutely right – what a treat well worth waiting for (forgive the sentence ending preposition)!

Since we were first timers, our very pleasant server patiently explained how to consume each course. There is a structured procedure for this which includes the use of chopsticks. We asked for forks and she smilingly obliged. Where to begin? With some very helpful suggestions, we began with Cucumber Salad and Sweet & Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs. So far, so very good.

Next came Sauteed String Beans with Garlic, Snow Crab & Pork XiaoLongBao, and Chicken Fried Rice. Add several more “verys” to the goodness.

As if we weren’t full enough, we must always have dessert – something not too sweet. How about Sweet Taro Bun and Red Bean Rice Cake? These were good but I think we do actually want something sweeter next time. AND there will definitely be a next time. Sandra and I are already planning it.

The Other Thing – Even the to-go boxes looked good. There wasn’t much to take home though, but we didn’t want to waste one bite!