What I Did This Week: 10 Best Soup Dumplings In LA; Inside A Dim Sum Kitchen

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Hi all. I’m getting fancy with the design on this site. Would love any feedback.

Here’s what I did this week:

1) For LA Weekly, I published a list of my top ten favorite places for soup dumplings in Los Angeles.

2) I also went behind the scenes of Ocean Star (dim sum resto in Monterey Park) and got some kitchen snapshots.

3) My first segment with LA18 broadcasted. The topic: 626 Night Market. (Pardon the terrible Chinese. Apparently I speak Mandarin with a prominent Valley girl accent. I annoy myself)

4) Refrigerator Raid: Chef Paul Corsentino of The National

5) And here’s a teaser…
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626 Night Market Partnership: First Video, How To Eat A Xiaolongbao

Kristie and I have partnered up with the 626 Night Market and we’ll be rolling out a series of cool videos. Here’s our first. Xiaolongbao skewers anyone? All credit goes to the talented Aileen Xu who shot and edited this entire thing.

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This episode was shot at Emperor Noodles in San Gabriel. (800 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91775) Also, a big thank you to the people over at Huffington Post LA  and Blogging LA for the write-ups about our PSA.

For more live updates follow me on Facebook or Twitter

What I’ve Been Working On: LA 18 Appearance, Patch.com + J-Gold Shout-outs, Sticky Rice

It’s been a while since I’ve updated. Here are some of the things I’ve been working on:

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1) I visited the folks over at LA 18 and chatted with host Bell Tsou about the 626 food scene, some of my “Best Of” lists and my top picks for boba. Will post the episodes once they are up on YouTube.

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2) Kristie and I made small cameo in the recent Fung Brothers video Garvey, Valley, Main, Huntington. “I don’t want a girl from the Valley, I just want a girl who knows her way around Valley.” Thanks guys!

3) I helped with an Easter round-up for Time Out LA.

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4) I was featured on Patch.com twice. One. Blogger Lists 10 Best Eats In Arcadia Two. Arcadia Blogger to Appear on ‘Bizarre Foods’

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5) The Parish in DTLA has been getting a lot of great press recently. I did a round-up on some of their best dishes. Bone marrow toast anyone?  (Serious Eats)

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6) Where to get sea cucumber dumplings in Los Angeles. Over in Monterey Park, Farm Cuisine has been getting quite a bit of hype for their Asian fusion farm-to-table/organic approach. I stopped by and rounded up their top five dishes and had a chat with the chef and owner. (Serious Eats)

7) J. Gold did a write-up on Hunan Mao Seafood and I got a shout-out based on one of the articles I had written for LA Weekly earlier this year (via my community food blog 626 Foodettes). #Grateful.

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8) Sticky Rice soft-opened in the Grand Central Market in late March. It’s authentic Thai street food. I stopped by and ordered their entire menu: khao mun gai and BBQ chicken. (LA Weekly)

9) For CityEats, I raided the following fridges:
Refrigerator Raid: Michael Madrigale of Bar Boulud
Refrigerator Raid: Manuel Trevino of Marble Lane
Refrigerator Raid: Tim Cooper of GoldBar
Refrigerator Raid: Gabe Thompson of L’Apicio

What I’ve Been Working On 3/9: Best Hong Kong Waffles, 626 Night Market Returns

This week has been more research for me than writing. But somehow, I’ve managed to push out a few articles. Here’s what I’ve published this week:

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Best Hong Kong Waffles in Los Angeles (CBS Los Angeles)

626 Night Market Summer Nights + A Beer Garden!

I made the chopped kale salad from Napa Valley Grille. (CityEats)

Refrigerator Raid: Laurent Tourondel of Arlington Club NYC (CityEats)

Week of 3/2: Tianjin Buns, Chinese Wedding + An Emotional Confession

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I went on the prowl for Tianjin-style buns and listed four of my favorites. (LA Weekly)

Last summer, the family and I were invited to a wedding banquet in Taichung. Obviously, I shot photos of all the food. Check it out. (Serious Eats)

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I know there’s a risk of backlash when I put myself out there like this, but these last few months have been so enlightening I had to share. Plus, I seriously would’ve saved myself a lot of money on self-help books if I had figured out this solution three months ago. I present to you: How I Crawled Out Of Post Break Up Depression By Dating Myself. (xoJane)

One of my favorite recipes and I’ll confess — I ended up eating the entire thing by myself. Here’s my attempt at a roasted cauliflower tart from Brandon McGlamery. (CityEats)

Alain Allegretti’s fridge absolutely cracked me up. But it’s so true. Chefs are so busy cooking at work that they rarely even feel like touching the stove at home. Allegretti takes that concept to the extreme. (CityEats)