Eat Drink Style Dumpling 10053, El Monte, CA - Creative Dumplings Un-creative Restaurant Name

Nostradamus left out a very important prediction in his book. Amidst all things alluding to armageddon and absolute chaos, such as earthquakes, terrorist attacks, celebrity infidelity, Paris, Lindsay and Hillary, etc.... how about things we as foodbloggers actually care about... like where's the next breeding ground for good Asian food in the SGV? Well to answer that, Nostradamus appeared in my dreams last night. But he wasn't European; he was actually an old Chinese man with ashy gray hair, with one of those very attractive moles that had 3-4 strands of 5" hair growing out of it... like vines in the Amazon. The moles that are supposed to give people good luck, when in fact it's just something you tell people so they don't feel so bad about it. With lighting and thunder floating above his head, he told me. "Ooooooohhhhhhh.... (whatever scary sound scary spirits tend to make).... I think it's not in the Alhambra/San Gabriel/Rosemead side of Valley Blvd.... it's actually moved east on Valley Blvd towards El Monte. And it's because of a quaint restaurant by the name of Dumpling 10053. And I am getting sick of the huge Banh Mi Battles on Valley Blvd.... what the hell is that about??? It's just a sandwich! And what about those Monterey Park mommies with those face visors....oh the... " Before he continued ranting on, I went back to sleep. Thanks for the tip - I'm checking it out.

My family and I headed east on Valley Blvd. which was weird for a change. We were so used to going west on Valley to the land of good food. We found Dumpling 10053 in a tiny strip mall, well, by the address of 10053 Valley Blvd.... just a few yards east of Baldwin Avenue. We parked and found ourselves dealing with a good 15 people in front of us. Yes, a very good sign. I put my name down, actually my chinese last name. 10053 is the first place to ever ask me for my last name... "Ni gway shing?" (meaning: your family name please?) How fancylicious. Where was the heavily-needed valet guy? Compact parking spots and Chinese drivers do not meld well. We were seated about 20 minutes later.

About 2 months earlier, I had sent my new foodie scout, Jéan Downs, out to Dumpling 10053 since he was in the area. Jéan Downs accompanied me for a dinner at WD-50 in New York and tried a lot of things for the first time. He has proven to many that he is an enthusiast of good food. He doesn't like to reminisce about the days when he used to eat at Chipotle, El Torito (only with coupons), Baja Fresh (because Santa Ana is too far) and fine Italian meats from Albertson's Deli. He came back to me with a two thumbs up review.

10053 Interior
The restaurant holds about 15 tables; not very big. This place is certainly big enough for people to do the 'Hurry up and f&!!ing Eat Staredown' though. For those unfamiliar with this. It originates in Asia, where restaurants are super small. And if it's cold outside, people waiting to eat will literally stand inside the restaurant next to you while you enjoy your meal. They may even STARE at you so that you hurry up and eat. Screw them, take your time. Maybe even offer them some tea. There are hungry onlookers here though.

Cold Cucumbers (Xiao Huang Gua)
This is a must in any dumpling/noodle shop. Some places will let you walk up to the counter and pick out your own side dishes; most keep their side dishes in a separate drink fridge. These cucumbers however, were bland. In need of extra flavoring, we added our own salt and dollop of chili bean paste. Much better. $2.25

Shredded Bean Curd 'Noodles' (Gan Sih)
These are my favorite and 10053 makes them delicious. I can definitely taste the addition of chicken bouillon which contains MSG and chicken broth flavoring. The sesame oil is nicely glazed on.... making this one of the best 'gan sih' I've eaten in SGV. $2.25

The Dumpling Master Sauce
Everyone has his own 'sauce' for dipping dumplings or scallion pancakes in. Here's a quick guide for the sauce I make. Just don't dip dumplings in soy sauce straight - it's like the white guy from Joy Luck Club juicing the perfectly steamed fish with soy sauce. In your little dish provided, add 1/2 a seconds worth of soy sauce, 1 second of vinegar, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of chili bean paste depending on your threshold for spiciness and 6-7 drops of sesame oil. Mix well and enjoy. This is not the same sauce for soupy dumplings (xiao long bao)! This is $free.99.

Three-Flavored Dumplings (San Shen Sway Jiao)
People on Chowhound lit up this dish like crazy. And I must join the campaign. These are truly good. Using pork, imitation crab and sea cucumber, a juicy dumpling is made and full of flavor. You almost don't need to use the master sauce. This combination of ingredients is very unique, yet you can still taste all the different textures. You won't find this at many Chinese restaurants. 10 for $6.50.

Centerfold Portrait of the Three-Flavored Dumpling

Shrimp & Leek Dumplings (Sha Joe Tsai Sway Jiao)
These are my favorite and what everyone gets with the Three Flavor dumplings. I've already been to 10053 four times in the last 1.5 months. I can't get enough of these. These are basically like dim sum ha gow's. The shrimp is bound together by egg whites, corn starch with a few slivers of chinese leeks - and it's very juicy. Mmmm. 10 for $6.50.

Centerfold Portrait of the Three-Flavored Dumpling
All I have to say is... 36-24-36 for only 6-50.

Pork Chops with Soup Noodles (Pai Gu Mian)
This is another favorite here at 10053. I usually never get this, but after being here four times and eyeing what the waitresses bring out... it was time to try. And they are beautiful. Perfectly fried, these pork chops have a nice rice wine, white pepper and five-spice taste to them. Sh*t! My stomach just growled. $5.95 with soup noodles. $4.75 for 2 pieces... might as well order the whole set.

Noodle Soup (Part of Pai Gu Mian Combo)
This broth is cooked beautifully. It was a bit salty and cloudy from the noodle washoff. I tasted a lot of MSG in this. But overall, a nice accompaniment to the pork chops.

Beef Stew & Tendon Noodle Soup (Nu Ro Gun Mian)
I have eaten a lot of beef noodle soup in SGV, and so far, this place has moved up to my top 3 rank. The cuts of beef given are soooo nice. The broth has a nice red/brown color to it with virtually no oil and lingering tastes of chili bean paste; has a nice subtle star anise essence to it. This is one fine bowl of NRM.

The ugly-moled Nostradamus was right. In fact, I am thinking about eating there again this weekend. I am determined to try everything on the menu and I can't say that about a lot of Chinese dumpling/noodle shops. Another one of 10053's trademark dishes is the cold sesame chicken noodles. Good for about the first few bites, the sesame paste starts to get sickening. Try sharing this with your friends. I've also tried the rock cod fishball soup and it's just not what I was expecting. Although very clean and fresh, the fishballs lack the Chiu-Chow style of 'bouncey' fish meat. I'd refrain from the Salmon dumplings - cooked salmon is just too dry. Finally, as good as the potstickers look, I'd say no. The filling is 90% vegetable, 10% pork and VERY DRY. By the way, the chinese name for 10053 is 'Yuan Bao Xiao Guan', meaning Gold Ingot Restaurant. This is a Chinese gold ingot. Thanks for reading.

Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd Suite #2
El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 350-0188

Eat Drink Style Elite Restaurant... Monterey Park, CA - A Step Above Standard Dim Sum?

Living in the SGV, I'm spoiled with such vast selection of Asian food. And the low prices for SGV food are sometimes unbelievable. I've taken many non-Asian friends to eat and I've watched them rub their eyes and do a double take on the menu. What? How do these people live? Same thing I wonder everyday. In SGV, you can get dim sum as low as $1.60 per dish. You can have a family style lunch for four, for under $20. You can get almost any soup noodle for under $5. To me, this is wonderful. And I have money left over to buy things like Asian face visors, pirated vcd/dvd's and rims. You know, the good stuff.

But over the past years, there's been a new wave of higher-end restaurants that make Asian people rub their eyes and do a double take - particularly dim sum/banquet style restaurants. The new wave dim sum-style basically mixes traditional dim sum with Western/Pan-Asian ingredients. It was only a matter of time that Chinese would head towards the fusion trend in LA (aside from HK-style cafes in SGV). There's Mission 261 in San Gabriel, Triumphal Palace in Alhambra, Seafood Harbour in Rosemead and New Concept in Monterey Park. Well New Concept has a new owner and has reincarnated as the Elite Restaurants - same chefs, same staff.

I was called upon by the powers of the Los Angeles Court, to serve as a juror last week in Alhambra. Oh joy you assholes. Sitting in the jury assembly room, I stared at the clock and counted the minutes. If you're a true foodie, you're mind never strays away from food. When you wake up in the morning, you're already thinking about breakfast. After breakfast, you're thinking about lunch. After lunch, you're thinking about a snack. After dinner, you're thinking about the next day's cycle. Insane, I know - but you know it's true. I wanted dim sum but didn't want to try the ones I usually frequent.... mmm, how about Elite? I had heard so much about it from friends and on Chowhound.

I arrived at Elite to find that it WASN'T decked out in red wallpaper with the cliche Golden Dragons of Double Happiness mural. Instead, the walls were dressed with yellow wallpaper and framed images of their culinary gifts to us. This place was packed to the rim when I got there at 12:30. As I waited for my table, I snagged a menu and started pre-ordering. *Note: fancier dim sum places will not have the old ladies wearing jade bracelets pushing carts. The food is brought to you buy a server after filling out your menu form. My eyes lit up in excitement as I filled out my lunch order. I couldn't wait. I flipped the other side of the menu and almost fell over the chair. Elite also serves banquet dinners ranging from $388 to $1,688. The Chinese love the number 88 and 888 (eight is pronounced as 'baht') because it sounds like the phrase... "get rich" (faht choy). Elite might want to consider changing their prices if they want to "get rich". Not many people can shell out $1,688 for a family dinner unless they sell their left kidney.

Elite Restaurant Interior
No red wallpaper, dragons and jade-bracelet equipped cart-pushers. Hope I didn't mistaken this place for Panda's Inn?


Macau Roasted Pork (Oh Moon Seew Yook)
This was awesome! Beautifully roasted pieces of pork back or belly and perfectly fried skin. I love pork belly! This is served with a dish of salt and hoisin sauce. For those that have never heard of Macau, it's an ex-Portuguese colony southwest of Hong Kong. Although the architecture is reminiscent of Portugal's, there are cantonese-speaking people everywhere. Macau is also considered as the Vegas of South Asia. $5.98


Spare Ribs with Chili & Black Bean Sauce (Pai Gwut)
The only difference in this and traditional 'pai gwut' is that the ribs are steamed on top of sweet potatoes, which do nothing for this dish. I've had better 'pai gwut' at traditional dim sum joints. $1.98


Congee with Pork & Preserved Egg (Pei Dan Sao Yook Jook)
A must-have when I eat dim sum. I expected to get a small bowl here but I was wrong. It came in a huge white soup bowl. Like the 'pai gwut', I've had better. Good deal though, for only $5.08.


Scallop Steamed Rice Noodles (Dai Zee Cheung Fun)
Oh man. I've never seen this and when I saw it on the menu I nearly flipped. I love scallops and I love steamed rice noodles. This was excellent. Scallops were perfectly steamed and the noodles were beautiful - not hard at all. The sauce was so so, but still, great overall dish. I would order this dish again. Maybe even two. $2.98


Shark's Fin Dumpling in Supreme Soup Stock
Whenever I have the chance to eat shark, I will eat those bastards. I hate them. I'm amused by the National Geographic and Discovery Channel specials, but those bastards are out of control. Jaws was served in a huge dumpling - almost like a pouch, in a golden broth. I broke the dumpling in half and out came the remnants of Jaws. This was delicious but I felt that the Supreme soup stock was way too sweet. Anyway, I helped out some seals and walruses by eating this dish. $5.98


Pork Shu-Mai (Seew Mai)
I don't know why they call this a pork shu-mai because they all come with large pieces of scallop sitting on top of them. These were definitely the largest shu mai I've ever seen and they were delicious. Because of the satellite dish size bowl of porridge, I couldn't finish this. $2.98


Pan Fried Turnip Cake with X.O. Sauce (XO Jeung Loh Bahk Go)
When I was mini-ED&BM, I used to eat turnip cakes all day long. I call these Chinese hash browns because they are crispy. Elite's version includes X.O. Sauce which consists of minced dried shrimp, dried scallops and chili. The cakes were fried nicely but there wasn't much of an X.O. Sauce-taste. I barely dented this. $5.08

As you can see, I ordered way too much food. My favorites were the scallop steamed rice noodles, Macau pork and shu mai. If you do try Elite, try dishes you wouldn't normally try - they've got a huge list of things I've never eaten. I'm going back again and ordering entirely different dishes. But overall, I prefer traditional dim sum houses like 888, New Capital, Ocean Star and Hop Li (my favorite). I love the anticipation of seeing your favorite dim sum cart approaching you down the aisle. I love seeing what goodies I can eat immediately. Sometimes, traditional is the way to go. I got back to the jury room and freaking knocked out. I was so full I almost puked. Good times. Thanks for reading.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-9998

Eat Drink Style Tay Ho Banh Cuon - Rosemead, CA

Yes... banh cuon, the Vietnamese cousin of the Chinese steamed rice noodles found in dim sum. Similar in noodle texture, banh cuon is made with rice flour, tapioca flour, water and oil and traditionally filled with ground pork, fried shallots and wood ear mushrooms. It is garnished with cilantro, sliced cucumbers, even more fried shallots, slices of pork loaf (cha lua) and nuoc cham (fish sauce dip). It is basically a crepe.

This is a dish I learned to love growing up. Back in the 80s, my dad would take his along on his frequent visits to Chinatown and stop by this one roach coach on the corner of Spring & Alpine to pick up banh cuon. I call them the Banh Mi Boys because its run by two brothers - nice guys. The roach coach is STILL there to this day and I'll find myself going there at least once a week to pick up the deluxe banh mi for $2.25 (not the best, but better than dropping $6 at places like Le Saigon in West LA) and banh cuon. The banh cuon comes in a pack of 10 with fish sauce for $2. I eat TWO of them and a pork skewer (nem nuong). Overall, if you check out this roach coach, don't expect much - it's basic Vietnamese fare. Out on the westside, I can't find sh*t. Banh cuon is good because it's so light and flavorful, as with the majority of vietnamese food.

Banh cuon is a dish you can easily find in any Vietnamese restaurant, but there is one that specifically focuses on it: Tay Ho. After J told me about this place, I salivated like one of Pavlov's dogs . I tried out the one in Rosemead.

Jug O' Juice
I like gin and tonic, and I like my fish sauce tonic. Made with fish sauce, Sriricha chili garlic sauce, lemons, sugar and water... this is the ingredient that makes Vietnamese food so tasty. I love how Tay Ho proudly displays their sauce. It's the 40 oz. of fish sauce. Nice.

Spring Rolls (Cha Gio)
Average. It was edible, but you just have to have that delicious crunch from fresh rice paper. I've been spoiled by Golden Deli/Saigon Flavor/Vietnam House! Here's my posting on cha gio.


Steamed Rice Cakes with Ground Shrimp, Mung Bean & Pork Loaf (Banh Beo)
Banh beo is a steamed rice cake. It's a bit starchier and Tay Ho's version is a bit too thick. My favorite banh beo comes from Quan Hy in Westminster where they present the rice cakes in individual dishes so that nothing sticks to the plate. I regretted ordering this because everything was just powdery and starchy. The mung bean and ground shrimp was intensely dry. Not even the 40 oz. fish tonic could help.


Steamed Rice Noodles with Fried Shrimp Paste
Now this was the best dish out of the whole meal. I love shrimp paste - so sweet and tasty. I borrowed some of the pork loaf slices from the previous dish since we couldn't finish it. The banh cuon was cooked nicely - I devoured this up in minutes.


Vietnamese Pork Vermicelli in Beef Soup (Bun Bo Hue)
This is the next favorite noodle dish after pho in vietnamese restaurants. This comes from the Hue district and is actually more flavorful than pho. The soup is made with beef but served with a pork hock. The soup is strong in lemongrass flavor and is delicious. Unfortunately, Tay Ho's version was lacking in flavor. Does anyone have any recommendations for Bun Bo Hue in LA and OC? I love the one from Quan Hy as well.


Fried Pork Chop with Steamed Egg Cake on Rice (Com Tam Suon Nuong)
Pork chop bland. Egg cake good. And that concludes my extensive review on this dish.

Overall, Tay Ho was ok. I think I'm better off trying the Westminster one. The best meal here is probably the Jug O' Juice. FYI, Tay Ho is owned by the West Lake Food Corporation. You can find products like beef balls, pork balls, fish cake, pork loaves and yes, fish sauce, in most asian markets. The fish sauce may very well be the key buy. Try Tay Ho out for yourself. It could've been an off day for me.

Tay Ho Banh Cuon

1039 E Valley Blvd Ste B103

San Gabriel, CA, 91776

(626) 280-5207