Halloween in Japan

Happy Halloween!

I just returned from Tokyo (thankfully right before Hurricane Sandy hit), and was floored by how much they have embraced Halloween. From what I've heard, this is a more recent phenomenon.

One thing that surprised me the most was how many high end bakeries have gone crazy with the Halloween theme. It's something you see less of here in America.

Enjoy some fun photos from my exploration of the high end bakeries at the "depa-chika" (department store basement food halls) at Isetan in Shinjuku, a vibrant area of Tokyo.   
Yes, that's a $10 cookie (exchange rates are horrible right now - the US dollar is so weak abroad!)

These have got to be the most elegant witch hats I've ever seen.
Custards, called "pudin" in Japanese, are immensely popular in Japan. Right now pumpkin flavored puddings are all the rage.

This one particular "pudin" shop brings in custards from all over Japan.

Fall foliage hits a bit later in Japan, so it was just starting to turn when I was there. I'm sure it will be gorgeous in a couple weeks.

Not exactly pumpkins, but I thought these were gorgeous and a nice way to end this post with a teaser to one of the most incredible dessert carts I encountered in a Japanese restaurant. I'll post a proper teaser for Japan next week. For now, enjoy the Halloween sweets, and happy trick-or-treating!

Toasted Hobnob Ice Cream Sandwiches

What a surreal weekend.

Bryan and I had basically just stepped off the plane, back from a trip to Japan, when we started hearing about the crazy, unprecedented "monster" storm that was headed our way. We were advised to stock up on food, water, batteries, and first aid kits. People had learned (the hard way) during Hurricane Irene that it was possible to be out of power for days on end.

My refrigerator was empty, having been completely cleaned out in anticipation of my trip to Japan.

Bleary-eyed and jet-lagged, I jostled with the insane crowds at Trader Joe's on Sunday to pick at whatever was left in the store. For some odd reason, Bryan had to wait in almost equally long lines at Microcenter. Were people stocking up on computer games? Hard drives and motherboards?? OK, maybe flashlights and batteries. 

Monday we hunkered down and stayed at home, bracing ourselves for the rain and heavy winds that would come. We spent the day on our computers, working. As the storm built in intensity, we stared out the window, in awe (and nervousness!), as we watched large trees sway around in the strong gusts of wind.

We ate simply. Pasta Carbonara for lunch and Baja style fish tacos for dinner.

As the winds began dying down around 9PM, we tore our eyes away from the Weather Channel to enjoy a nice, relaxing dessert.

A sigh of relief. No loss of power. No floods in the basement.

To celebrate, we munched on homemade Hobnob ice cream sandwiches.

For those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile, you may know that Grape Nut Ice Cream is one of my all time favorite flavors. It's virtually the only flavor I ever get at Toscanini's, and it was one of the few recipes I chose to feature in my final winning post for Project Food Blog.

I'm also a huge fan of Hobnobs, that British, oat-based biscuit that's oddly really, really addictive (yes, I even tried making my own once).

When Bryan brought me back tons of Hobnobs from a recent trip to Europe (so many that they started going stale), I decided that making ice cream was the perfect way to use up a chunk of my stash.

First step: Toast the Hobnobs
I learned this by accident, but toasted Hobnobs taste incredible, much better than normal untoasted Hobnobs. The slight caramelization of the sugars during the browning process gives the cookies a deeper, richer flavor, not to mention an incredible aroma while baking. Even though I was originally just trying to revive stale Hobnobs, they tasted so good I decided that I would always toast my Hobnobs from now on.

Crush up the Hobnobs and add them to your ice cream base right after taking it out of the machine. I would recommend completely pulverizing at least half of the Hobnob batch, and then crushing the other half into slightly larger chunks. There are many ways of doing this. I would recommend putting the cookies in a plastic Ziploc bag and just crushing the cookies with your hands.

Once well mixed, freeze for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

Serve as a normal ice cream or make Hobnob ice cream sandwiches!

Hobnob Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
¾ cups sugar
4 egg yolks
¼ to ½ cups crushed Hobnobs (divided between finely crushed and coarsely crushed)
Additional Hobnob cookies for making sandwiches (optional)

Day 1
Heat the half & half, heavy cream, and sugar in a pot on medium low heat until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot cream mixture while continually stirring.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (~8-10 minutes). Optionally filter the cooked liquid and allow to cool overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 2
Toast Hobnobs in the toasted oven until lightly browned, around 4 minutes. Once cookies are cool, crush half of the cookies in a plastic bag until finely crushed. Break up slightly larger chunks by hand. Set aside.

Pour the cream mixture into the ice cream maker and make ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is "done," pour toasted Hobnobs into the mixture and stir by hand until incorporated. Freeze finished product for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Optionally make sandwiches by putting a scope of ice cream between two Hobnob cookies.

Note: you can store the sandwiches by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap.

Enjoy!

Sportello

Ask anyone to name the best chefs in Boston, and undoubted you'll hear Barbara Lynch's name in the mix. After all, this "rags-to-riches" local Bostonian female chef has climbed through so much to get to where she is today.

Her achievements are numerous. She and her restaurants have won multiple James Beard Awards over the years. Her highest-end restaurant, Menton  is the first (and only) restaurant in Boston to receive the prestigious Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux award. No. 9 Park  her original flagship restaurant, is still is one of the most highly regarded restaurants in Boston today.

But no one eats at these restaurants on a daily basis. These are places that are reserved from special occasions, celebrations, and expense account dinners.

That's the beauty of Sportello, Chef Lynch's neighborhood answer for the local Bostonian looking for excellent, Italian food in a casual yet trendy atmosphere.

When given the opportunity to build something in a converted warehouse in the Fort Point neighborhood, Barbara Lynch looked at Boston and thought about what was missing.

She sought to build "the next level of fine dining" that Boston hadn't seen with the opening of Menton.  She thought Boston could use some really good drinks, and built up Drink in the adjacent space.

Finally, she reminisced about the days when she was a child, and her mom used to take her to Woolworth's for a simple grilled cheese and a pie.

"The last thing is a cool sort of counter. . . .  grab and go but sleek and stylish with my food."

That's exactly what Sportello is.

Two U-shaped counters essentially take up the entire dining area. There are a couple tables, but most of the seating consists of bar stools, many of which have views of the semi-open kitchen.

A lot of the prep work is done downstairs in the large kitchen that's shared with Chef Lynch's other restaurants (Menton and Drink are also in the immediate vicinity). However, you can still watch some of the cooking from your bar stool seat.

Bryan and I visited Sportello after watching the Red Bull Diving Competition at Fan Pier in Boston's waterfront area.  Crazy divers jump off the top of the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) building, which is many, many stories high. Admittedly, it may seem like nothing compared to jumping from the edge of space, but it was still pretty awe-inspiring to watch.
Because it was August when we went, we sampled the fresh, seasonal ingredients in the Heirloom Tomato Salad ($12), which was served simply with crumbled pecorino, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar "dots". If the ingredients are top notch, you can't really go wrong with this salad, and this one was great.
All of their pastas are homemade, and you can order any pasta as a half size appetizer portion for half the price. We decided to order two half-sized pastas as starters and share one entree. Our first pasta was a seasonal offering: Pappardelle with Tuna Belly, San Marzano Tomatoes, and Eggplant. We both loved the perfect al dente texture of these wide ribbon-like noodles.
The Tagliatelle Bolognese, on the other hand, is a staple menu item that stays on all year long. We both liked it a lot, and would definitely be happy to order it again. I probably preferred the bolognese to the tuna belly pasta, though both were good.

Entrees vary a lot depending on the season, but there's always a "Market Fish" on the menu. In late summer when we went, we enjoyed a lovely grilled white fish which was served with grilled Japanese eggplant, summer squash, and an edamame puree.

I did want to mention that I loved the wine we got, a little find from a young winemaker in Sicily. We learned about this wine, Occhipinti Il Frappato Sicilia 2010, because we just happened to be sitting right next to a person from Central Bottle, who instantly recognized the wine we got (they sell this wine at Central Bottle as well).

True to Chef Lynch's promise, Sportello offers the opportunity for one to come and just "grab and go." You can walk up to a bakery/cafe counter inside the restaurant and order sandwiches or bakery items to take away.

Dessert is sort of a fun affair because you can either order off of the normal dessert menu or walk over to the counter and pick out whatever bakery items you might want for dessert.

Bryan and I decided to try both (!!). We ordered the Blueberry Cheesecake off of the normal menu, which was great. I especially loved those fresh, Maine blueberries.
We also got a Kit Kat Cupcake from the bakery, which, honestly, I thought was pretty average. The cupcake was a tad dry and not nearly as interesting as I had hoped.

General Thoughts
In general, we both thought Sportello offered high quality food and wine in a fun, casual, yet sleek environment. Pastas were especially tasty, and I really loved the wine.

It's still a bit of a trek from Cambridge, and not quite "destination-worthy" for us to make the trip out to Fort Point just to eat at Sportello. We have plenty of excellent restaurants close to home. However, if we're in the neighborhood (or, when my company moves there next year), I will happily stop by often, either to try their lunch take-away sandwiches or for the excellent pasta dishes.

As a cool side note, Sportello is currently offering a three course Sunday meal, including all-you-can-eat pasta, for $45. Sounds awesome yet dangerous at the same time!

Sportello
348 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210

Tiny Urban Kitchen on Kitchen Nightmares?

This Friday at 8PM is the premier of Gordon Ramsey's reality drama "Kitchen Nightmares" on FOX.  Although I normally never talk about TV on this blog (in fact, I hardly ever watch TV, too busy with all my other activities!), I will most definitely be tuning into this show on Friday.

Why?

Well, I was there.

That's right.  This past summer, Chef Ramsey decided to do his magic on a struggling Italian restaurant in Boston's North End. The sequence of events surrounding this restaurant's "make-over" will span two weeks, and seems to promise all the drama that typically accompanies Ramsey's shows (yelling, crying, more yelling . . etc.)

I was invited to attend the re-launch dinner while it was being filmed in Boston.  Along with a few friends, I had dinner on the very first relaunch night at La Galleria 33. It was a bit surreal, surrounded by endless cameramen, harried staff, and Chef Ramsey himself.

I'll write a more detailed post about the entire experience a little later. For now, I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to tune in.

There's no guarantee I'll be on the show. Like with most shows, I "signed my life away" on those waiver forms essentially letting them do whatever they want with the footage that they took.

I'm a bit nervous about how they'll portray everything, but I promise that my follow up post will be a completely honest rendition of what I thought the evening was like.

Photos courtesy of FOX

Jeni's Inspired Vanilla Ice Cream

I love ice cream.

It's one of my all time favorite foods and something I could eat at every meal (if only it were as healthy as kale or broccoli). Yes, I know it's all my dad's fault, but that doesn't make me crave it any less.

And I'm from Ohio. And my name's Jennifer.

It's no surprise that when I found out about Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream from Ohio (of all places!) whose immense popularity seemed to be sweeping the press and blogosphere by waves, I decided I absolutely had to try it (I mean, seriously, how often does my beloved home state get this kind of praise from the food community?).

But then, it's not like I can ask my mom to bring me ice cream from Ohio when she visits. And I usually only go back to Ohio during the holidays, so it means waiting months before trying it. That is, until Formaggio Kitchen started carrying it in their stores.

You can guess what I did next.

At $12 a pint, Jeni's ice cream is probably the most expensive ice cream I've ever seen. Part of the high cost comes from the fact that she sources all of her cream from grass-fed cows in Snowville Creamery, a local milk producer in Ohio.

Jeni's ice cream is unusual in that she does not use any eggs. She believes in truly highlighting the flavors of the ice cream ingredients, and eggs can sometimes detract from that.

In order to get a smooth creamy texture, she uses several tricks. First, to avoid any ice crystals, she painstakingly removes some water from the ice cream "batter" by boiling the cream/milk mixture. She also adds starch for two reasons: 1) as a desiccant to remove additional residual moisture; and 2) as a thickener to make the ice cream more creamy.

She then uses a bit of cream cheese to round out the ice cream, making it more scoopable.

We picked up Wildberry Lavendar and The Buckeye State. 

For those of you who are not local to Ohio, the buckeye tree is the Ohio state tree. It produces a nut that looks very much like a chestnut. Buckeyes are also local chocolate-peanut butter candies made to resemble the buckeye nut. Jeni paid homage to Ohio by creating this ice cream filled with pulverized buckeyes.

Initial Thoughts?
I so wanted to love this ice cream. But alas, Bryan and I both found the ice cream to be just a bit chalky and not as lusciously creamy as we had expected. "The Buckeye State" was the chalkier one, possibly made that way by the peanut butter inside?

Bryan didn't really like the texture. And I agreed that I preferred the creamy texture of egg-based ice creams.  Nevertheless, the flavors, especially the Wildberry Lavendar, were clean and pronounced, shining through with no competition from egg yolks or other strong flavors.

Despite my first experience with the ice cream, I was still intrigued at the idea of egg-less ice creams that would be smooth and creamy. Furthermore, since eggs are such a pain to deal with at home, I really was drawn to the idea of trying to make ice cream using her method.

So I finally did.
About a week ago, I noticed that my quarts of cream in the refrigerator were imminently about to expire. In order to avoid throwing them all out, I decided to make ice cream, immediately. Typically, I  make a rich, custard-style ice cream with many, many egg yolks.

Alas, I had virtually run out of eggs. Intrigued by Jeni's ice cream process, I found a recipe online for Jeni's version of a simple egg-less vanilla ice cream.  Thrilled that I actually had both corn starch and cream cheese at home (I virtually never have a stocked kitchen), I decided to forge ahead and see how a homemade version of Jeni's would taste like.

I must confess, I could not completely follow the recipe because of a lack of certain ingredients in my house (it was late at night too, so no chance to stopping by a grocery store). Most notably, I did not have simple white sugar and corn syrup. I took the plunge and substituted agave syrup. I've read elsewhere that Jeni specifically cautions against using other types of sugar (aside from what she recommends in the recipe), so I've put her original recipe below with notes about my modifications.

Despite all my crazy modifications, I still really enjoyed the final product! Sure, the texture was a not as creamy as I would have hoped, but how could I expect that given the changes I made? I'm pretty certain that my changes upset the delicate balance of water to other ingredients. In other words - my version had too much water, thus affecting the way the entire batch froze.

What about the Eggless Vanilla?
It tasted fantastic. I loved the clean, unadulterated fresh cream flavors of this ice cream. The vanilla really shown through, fragrant and sweet. I would totally consider using this method to make ice cream again. I'm pretty certain that if I cut down on the water content and used the right sugars (ahem - in other words, followed her tried and true recipe), it would turn out just right.

At least, what I've done is shown that even if you mess with several elements of the ice cream making process, the final product will still taste pretty darn good. Seriously, you really can't go too wrong with heavy cream and fresh vanilla beans.

Enjoy!

Jen's homemade version using Jeni's recipe

Simple Vanilla Eggless Ice Cream
[source: Food & Wine Magazine: Originally from the book Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home]

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

In an small bowl, add cornstarch to a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of milk and dissolve completely. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk room temperature (important! Not straight out of the refrigerator!) cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla beans for about 5 minutes until the cream mixture is well infused with vanilla flavor. Remove from heat and slowly add corn starch/half & half mixture, stirring until everything is well incorporated. Return to heat and boil for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Slowly add the hot cream mixture to the whisked cream cheese and stir well until mixed. Cool in an ice bath (at least 20 minutes) until cold.

Make in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Store the ice cream in airtight conditions and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.


My Modifications & Notes
As I said, I was desperately trying to use up my cream, so in my haste I reverted to familiar ratios from the recipe I usually use, not fulling appreciating how the difference in water content could really affect the creaminess of the egg-less ice cream. To make matters worst, I had just enough corn starch, but not the extra amount I probably needed to make up for the extra liquid I was adding.

My Measurements
2 cups half & half + 2 cups heavy cream [admittedly too much liquid?]
1/2 cup agave syrup instead of sugar [yikes, even MORE liquid!]
2 vanilla beans [at least I'm upping the vanilla flavor, yikes!]

I basically followed the instructions from the recipe except that I cooled my ice cream base in the refrigerator overnight since I did not have time to make ice cream right away.

Hungry Mother

Why don't I go to Hungry Mother more often?

We are spontaneous diners who don't plan ahead. As many unlucky diners have learned throughout the years, not planning ahead = not dining at Hungry Mother.

I have found Hungry Mother (together with the likes of Bondir, The Helmand, and Craigie on Main), to be one of the most difficult reservations to get in Cambridge at the last minute.

It's not hard to see why. Their prices are reasonable and the food is phenomenal. It's unusual that I'll write about a restaurant three times on this blog, but I think it's warranted here. After all, the first post had no pictures (I know, crazy huh? Early days of the blog!) and the second post was just a recipe for one of their dishes. So now (finally!) for the first time, I have a proper write-up full of mouthwatering photos as well as my thoughts about the experience.

Hungry Mother is easy to miss. It's hidden in a little street corner right near One Kendall Square in Cambridge (across the street from the theater). It opened in 2008 to much anticipation and fanfare and has been very, very popular ever since. Forget trying to show up without a reservation on a weekend evening. Be prepared to wait.

The food is Southern American made using refined French techniques. The chef-owner is originally from Virginia and sprinkles various bits of his home state throughout the restaurant. For example, "Hungry Mother" is also the name of a state park in Virginia, and the state bird of Virginia is the cardinal (the logo of the restaurant).

The menu constant changes depending on what's available and what's seasonal. They try their hardest to source ingredients locally or (in the case of Southern-specific ingredients), from Virginia. For us, it had been quite a while since we had last visited, so we anxiously explored the menu and tried several dishes.

The house made Surryano Country Ham Biscuits came with a homemade red pepper jelly, smoked bluefish pate, and pickled okra. We loved the sweet + savory + spicy combo that came from the salty ham, buttery biscuits, and sweet & spicy jelly. I loved the spicy red pepper jelly so much I purchased a jar of it on my way out (yes, they sell them at the counter for $9 a jar).

One of my favorite dishes of the evening was the Crispy Smoked Pork appetizer, which came with Hakurei turnip greens and Jim Nardello peppers in a rich, savory potlikker broth.  The broth was incredible, incorporating the rich, smoky flavors from the pork. A cornbread stick served as the perfect tool by which to soak up any remaining broth.

The Chatham Bluefish came with "hm" bacon ("hm" presumably means Hungry Mother? Or maybe House-made?). It was topped with tomato jam and served over a salad of arugula and red Norland potatoes tossed in a cider vinaigrette.

This dish was solid, though I think deep down inside we both thought that the famous fried catfish was the better dish.

Bryan absolutely loved the Baked Anson Mills Grits, which were made with "hm" Tasso ham and tons of sharp, Vermont cheddar. It was wonderfully cheesy, very creamy, and all around very good.

The Sauteed Local Collard Greens, cooked with pepper vinegar, was fine, but uninspiring.

My other favorite dish - the one I could not stop eating - was the Skillet Cornbread with Sorghum Butter. Sorghum is a type of sweet molasses made from sorghum, an early grain. Sorghum butter is sweet, sort of like honey butter.

The cornbread was addictive. Buttery and moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside - it was definitely amongst the best cornbread I've ever had. Heck, I'd go back for that dish alone. We only ordered a "small" portion (half circle), but you can easily get a whole one for the table to share. I guarantee it won't stick around for long.

Bryan got the Strube Ranch Wagyu Bavette Steak, which was served with creamed native corn, blacked arrow head cabbage, and "b-1" sauce. The steak was solid, though the entire dish was not particularly special. We've had more interesting dishes in the past, and I think this time around, our main entrees were good, but didn't exactly blow us away.
Nevertheless, we're still huge fans of the restaurant. My favorites are the Crispy Smoked Pork appetizers and the Sorghum cornbread. The fried green tomatoes are excellent, and we've enjoyed the French gnocchi a lot on a past visit.

Their menu changes daily, so there's always a chance to try something new. Of course, certain classics, like the cornbread and the fried green tomatoes, probably never leave the menu.

For dessert we tried the Blueberry Stacked Cake, which was great - not too sweet, and full of luscious, in-season berries. I still miss the buttermilk pie they had the first time I came. I'm not sure if they will ever bring it back, but I hope for it every single time.

Overall, this fun little Southern place is a gem in Kendall Square. It's very evident why Hungry Mother is so popular. On top of the great food, they also serve some really interesting cocktails and have an extensive spirits list. Finally, the space is warm and cozy, reminiscent of a traditional Southern restaurant with many rooms, each one painted a different color. You almost feel like you're inside a big house.

Hungry Mother
233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave
Cambridge, MA 02141

Ding Tai Fung (Bellevue)

This is the first post in the Summer in the Pacific Northwest Series, which is sort of being run concurrently with the Oh Canada Series (partly due to some overlap).

I guess you could say I'm on a mission.

It's not a difficult mission, really. I'm just trying to eat at every Din Tai Fung in the world, that's all. I've made reasonably progress to date. I visited the original one in Taipei, of course, as well as the one in Los Angeles opened by the family's son. There are franchises around the world, and I've gone to both the ones in Beijing and Shanghai. Heck, I've even been tricked and gone to a knock-off one in Toronto.

And then they finally decided to open a second location in the U.S. I prayed that they would choose the East Coast (why not? There is already so much good Chinese food out west!). Alas, they decided to open in Bellevue, just outside of Seattle.

Disheartened, I really had no idea when I would be able to go.

As it turned out, Bryan's cousin decided to get married in Seattle. Better yet, his aunt (with whom we stayed) actually lives in Bellevue.

It's not hard to guess where I wanted to go for dinner.

Unlike some of the older Din Tai Fung locations (like the original one in Taiwan or even the original one in Los Angeles), this one is prettier and "swankier" inside, with hard wood floors, cute hanging lights, and prettier dishware. It reminded me more of the slightly more upscale ones in Beijing and Shanghai (where Din Tai Fung is regarded as a really pricey restaurant).

Your food comes out on prettier, slightly more stylish dishware. The marinated cucumbers, always a refreshing starter, were great.

The spicy wontons were average and probably worth skipping. After all, if you're coming to Din Tai Fung, you should really be getting their xiao long baos!

Speaking of which, we ordered several dozens of the dumplings. These were solid, definitely serviceable, but we noticed a quality difference between the ones here and both the ones in California (slightly better) and Asia (noticeably better).

The skins aren't supposed to break, but I think we had one or two break on us.

But really, I'm arguably splitting hairs here. The dumplings were still delicious and very, very enjoyable. The soupy pork filling is still very flavorful and satisfying, and people still gobbled it up. If this exact restaurant opened up in Boston, I would still go at least once a week!

Sauteed Green Beans

Other non-dumpling side dishes, such as the stir fried green beans, were all fine. It's nice that they have a variety of offerings on their menu. After all, if you're a local, you may not feel like eating xiao long baos all the time.

Stir Fried Rice Cakes (chao nian gao)

Of course, I think Bryan would differ. He's pretty particular about what he will eat when he's at Din Tai Fung. In short, he only eats the crab roe xiao long baos. He thinks everything else is a "waste of stomach space."

Wonton Soup

Most people aren't like Bryan, so I still think it's nice that they have a variety of dishes. We found most of their dishes, such as the stir fried rice cakes (two photos above) and the wonton soup (above) to be pretty tasty. I would definitely consider ordering a bigger variety if I lived close by and came every week.

However, if I'm only coming to visit it as a destination restaurant, I would focus mostly on the dumplings, which are still their main specialty.

Definitely try the dessert dumplings if you've never had it before. My personal favorite (by far) is the taro dumpling. Often I'll eat the same number of taro dumplings as normal pork ones! Black sesame is also pretty good. We did not try the red bean one here, but we've noticed a difference in sweetness and texture between the Los Angeles and Taiwan ones, so I can't recommend one from a particular restaurant unless if I've tried it, and we didn't try it here.

Overall, I am still very, very jealous of all you people that live in the Seattle area. You are so lucky that Din Tai Fung picked another West Coast city in which to open their second restaurant.

This Din Tai Fung is very popular, just like every other Din Tai Fung in the world. We arrived early, around 5:30PM, so we did not wait in line. By the time we left, however, the line was super long. The restaurant is inside of a mall, so if you do have to wait a long time, I guess there's at least stuff you can browse while you wait?

I still hope that someday, they will come to the East Coast. The odds of Boston may seem low, but then they picked Bellevue over San Francisco, so we can always dream, right?

Din Tai Fung
700 Bellevue Way NE Ste 280
 Bellevue, WA 98004