Eat Out. Din Tai Fung.

I don't eat Chinese food a lot, mainly because I just don't have any great go-to spots. This changed completely this past weekend, when on New Year's Day (after a party that went well into the wee hours of 2011's first morning) our friends Graham and Jenny took us to Din Tai Fung. They discovered it years ago in China, and then found out there's one here in Arcadia, Calif. Genius.

The line was really long, and the wait ended up being close to an hour, but was so worth it.

The juicy pork dumplings (which we had five orders of) are absolutely delicious. They're so fresh and flavorful, you could really just eat them all day. Luckily to-go orders are easy to place, many people take full bags home with them.

We also had vegetable fried rice, hot and sour soup, green beans, bok choy, and egg noodles. Everything was fantastic. I'm already planning when we can next go.

If Arcadia sounds like a long drive for dumplings, make a day of it and visit the race track or the arboretum--both nearby.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: jonasapproved.com