![]() When the March 15th shutdown happened, we closed and laid off everybody so they could get unemployment. It was already affecting our business before Chinese New Year in 2020. Chi was already struggling, because we are a Chinese restaurant and there was discrimination after people heard that COVID had come from China. I don’t think I ever worked in any restaurant that didn’t have tablecloths before.īut even before the shutdown in Los Angeles County, Ms. In a way, I’ve always sort of been living in the fine-dining world. One day, I’ll try to get my own Michelin star. But now that idea is going to put on the backburner for a while. Madame Chi was going to be a really elevated modern Chinese restaurant, fancy banquet-style. My ultimate goal then was to do a fine-dining restaurant that had tableside duck service. Chi was the casual idea that spun out of Madame Chi. Less than two years ago, I was looking at downtown LA locations to open my original idea, which was Madame Chi. Even when I worked for José Andrés as executive chef of China Poblano, which was a more fun and casual style of restaurant in Las Vegas, there were still a lot of fine-dining touches, components, and ingredients. I opened Guy Savoy, which was two-Michelin-starred fine-dining French cuisine. Then I went to Vegas to open Bouchon and spent 13 years of my career in Las Vegas. My first job was with Thomas Keller as an extern at the French Laundry. After an extra portion of each, I upped my xiaolongbao intake to 32 for the day.I came from a very fine-dining background. The lack of extra dough meant the flavors of the filling could really stand out. The skin was thinner than Fu Chun and I preferred the appearance of the delicate package and the less chewy texture of the dumpling. I ordered the regular pork xiaolongbao and, since it was hairy crab season, the hairy crab roe and pork xiaolongbao. But there was no denying that these were really great dumplings. And yes, the waitress brought me a magazine to read because I was only a party of one and she didn't want me to feel lonely. Yes, there was a giant caricature drawing of Jackie Chan staring at me from the Din Tai Fung Hall of Fame. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel like I was in Shanghai.Īsia Tennis Travels Roundtable: What's the state of tennis in China?īut once I finally got to my table, I felt less annoyed. (An honor similar to being designated as the best slice of pizza in Manhattan or the best burrito in San Francisco.) This particular location of Din Tai Fung was in Xintiandi, a fancy outdoor mall that looks like it could be a part of any affluent American suburb. ![]() I was already annoyed as I made my way to Din Tai Fung, an international chain of dumpling and noodle restaurants that is regularly named the best dumpling in Shanghai. The menu was in Chinese and English and included mouthwatering photos of every item.The price of the dumplings was significantly more than Fu Chun.It was the only Chinese-run restaurant to make that list. There was a huge gold engraved plaque at the entrance that featured, word for word, a 1993 New York Times review that named it one of the 10 Best Gourmet Restaurants in the world. ![]() I spotted more than four Lonely Planet guides. As I was sitting waiting for my table, the only other languages I heard around me were English, Spanish, Russian and French.Everyone who worked there spoke fairly good English, and the hostesses were also incredibly friendly.Its Hong Kong branch was the first Taiwanese restaurant to earn a Michelin Star.It's not even Shanghainese or Chinese.
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