Behold our annual 100 Favorite Dishes countdown! Every day until the publication of our fantabulous Best Of Issue, we'll list our favorite meals this year in descending order. Enjoy, pass it on, and tune in daily!
Yes, the wait is still ridiculous. Yes, it's still overhyped. No, I don't recommend you get them right now at the Din Tai Fung in South Coast Plaza. I'd say it's still a better idea to go to the Arcadia branch where the wait can be as short as ten minutes and the prices are about a buck or two cheaper. Still, this is a list of favorite dishes, and Din Tai Fung's xiaolongbaos are about the best of its kind.
Shanghainese in origin, but perfected in Taiwan by Din Tai Fung's Chinese founders, xiaolongbaos are bite-sized, soup-filled purses of pork. And just as at every Din Tai Fung, the South Coast Plaza branch has its workers behind a glass partition making the dumplings by hand, one-by-one. You see them flattening the dinner-mint-sized pellets of dough into thin discs; smearing them with the ground pork and aspic filling; then knitting the tops into spiraling folds that crimps them shut. The dumplings are grouped 10 to a basket and steamed. As the pork cooks, the aspic melts into soup–the xiaolongbaos are born.
]
See also:
You pick each one up tenderly with chopsticks so as to not puncture their sagging, broth-filled bellies. After a quick soak in vinegar, you perch them on your spoon with a few shreds of ginger. On the first few, you bite off the tops and sipped the soup–they'll be too scalding otherwise. As they cool lightly, you eat them whole, the sacks bursting their sweet porkiness in your mouths.
No, it's still not worth waiting four hours for (nothing is)…but it is worth an hour round-trip drive to Arcadia and back just for the very reason that you can do it and still be fed before those people in line at SCP even get a seat.
The List:
3. Steak (And Anything Else) From Taco Maria
4. Bison Sausage from Break of Dawn
5. Matcha Soft Serve from Matcha Love
6. Cazuelita Paisa from El Portón Colombiano
7. Meatballs from Pirozzi
8. Ribeye from Selanne Steak Tavern
9. Barra Vieja from Anepalco's Cafe
10. Poki Bowl from PokiNometry
11. Soba Anything at Tanakaya
12. Secret Grilled-Cheese Sandwich from Old Vine Cafe
13. Strawberry Mochi at J. Sweet Bakery
14. Sushi from Del Sushi
15. Kibbeh at Aleppo's Kitchen
16. Cha Ca Thang Long at Vien Dong
17. Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich at Lucca Cafe
18. Catch-Style Carrot Cake at The Catch
19. Chicken, Broccoli and Mushroom Sandwich with Garlic Sauce from Le Diplomat
20. Vietnamese Baguette from Saigon Bakery
21. Whole Roasted Cauliflower from Lark Creek
22. Wagyu Loco Moco Skillet from Urban Seoul 2.0
23. Orange Blossom Honey from Massey Honey Co
24. Duck and Pork Cassoulet from Pinot Provence
25. Hash brown cake at Zov's
26. Poke at Bear Flag Fish Company
27. Avocado Ice Cream at à la minute
28. Icre at Dunarea
29. Milky Bun at Afters Ice Cream
30. Drunken Cow Pie at Pie Not
31. Chamorro al Guajillo at Sabroso!
32. Garbanzos at the North Left
33. Burger at Riders Club Cafe
34. Wraps at Kech Cafe
35. Pupusas de Frijol con Queso at Las Casuelas
36. Chicken Marsala at Aioli
37. Phnom Penh Noodle & Cha-Kwai at Little La Lune
38. Fried Chicken at Disneyland's Plaza Inn
39. Cookie Monster Ice Cream from B. Candy
40. Bento Box from California Gogi Korean Grill
41. Jasmine Milk Tea Ice Cream at Afters Ice Cream
42. 79 Special at Hapi Sushi
43. Chicken Nuggets at The North Left
44. Spicy Lemon Garlic Chicken at Chicken Maison
45. Surround Sound Burrito at the Secret Spot
46. Cheesecake Beignets At Scott's Restaurant
47. Spam and Egg Banh Mi From Tan Hoang Huong
48. Marianne's 10-20 Ice Cream At Ruby's Diner
49. Chile Relleno Pretzel Cheeseburger at OC Fair
50. Lunch at Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland
51. Pescado A Lo Macho at Muelle Peruvian Cantina
52. Cemita de Milanesa at La Cemita Poblana
53. Meatballs and Polenta at 320 Main
54. Shellfish (Ốc) at Hien Vuong Da Kao
55. Basic Bol at Boldo Bol
56. Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill
57. 10-Item Plate at Thuan Kieu Noodle & Grill
58. Leche Frita at Cafe Sevilla
59. Happy Hour Sushi at Ginzaya
60. Red Beans and Rice at Disneyland's French Market
61. Consommé from Tacos y Birria El Güero
62. Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich at Little Sparrow
63. Breakfast Taco at Sapphire Laguna
64. Husky Burger at Husky Boy Burgers
65. Love Bagel from Koffee Klatch
66. Kouign Amann From The Crema Cafe & Bakery
67. Chili Lime Popcorn From Green Tomato Grill
68. PB & J At Hopscotch
69. Takuwan Sushi from AnQi by Crustacean
70. Ube Ensaymadas from The Ensaymada Project
71. Pork Bánh Mì at the OC Poultry and Rotisserie Market
72. Tacos Gobernador from Mariscos Los Corales
73. Dutch Baby at the Original Pancake House
74. Doughnuts from Sidecar
75. Lengua Tacos at La Chonita
76. Oysters from Carlsbad Aquafarm at the Orange Homegrown Farmers Market
77. Lemon Miso Crab Melt at Umami Burger in Laguna Beach
78. Pani Puri from Adya
79. The Pocket at the Pocket Burger
80. Gyro Sandwich from Paul's Place
81. Slice of Heaven at Pie-Not
82. Taquitos at El Toro Bravo
83. Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut at the Donuttery
84. Dan Dan Mian at Wei-Shian Noodle
85. Beef Burger at Rider's Club Café
86. Smoked Trout at Provenance
87. Small Plates at A&J Restaurant
88. Corn Cheese at Zoomak Asian Bistro
89. Pumpkin Curry at Bhan Baitong
90. Poke at Costco Tustin II
91. Pambazo at Tacos Radioactivos
92. Beef Pho at Pho Crystal Noodle House
93. Breakfast Burrito from Cafe Calacas
94. Koobideh Plate from Grill Cafe
95. Tacos de Cecina from Alebrije's
97. Breakfast Sausage from Da-Le Ranch
98. Any Special Dinner by Old Vine Cafe's Mark McDonald
99. Tres Amigos Burrito from Piaggio on Wheels
100. Bacon-Wrapped Dates from Lola Gaspar
Follow Stick a Fork in It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook!
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.