Visit California: Din Tai Fung

We hadn't really planned to eat at Din Tai Fung during our recent trip to Los Angeles. It was Saturday morning and we were deciding on where we would eat dinner. Din Tai Fung was one of many places on our list of possibilities, and after causally mentioning to my friend who lives near Torrance that Din Tai Fung was one of the places we were thinking about going to for dinner, she said "we'll totally meet you there!"  And so that's how we ended up here.

I'm so glad she decided to join us, and offered to go early to put our name in to get a table, because the process to get a table is both long and head-scratching. First you give your cell number to the hostess out front, and then you wait for them to text you.  Once your phone buzzes, you go back to the hostess, but WAIT, that doesn't mean your table is ready.  They hand you a menu and say they'll call you when our table is ready.  What?!

The entire process took over an hour, in addition to however long my friend waited on our behalf before we even got there.  So yes, people aren't exaggerating when they say it takes an hour or more to eat here!  But sit tight and be patient, because the food is well worth the wait.

Once we did get seated (we lucked out with a private room since we had 8 people in our party), we put in our orders and in no time the food started arriving. Considering how crowded it was, I was quite surprised and pleased at how quickly the food came, especially since we were all starving by now.

Here's what we shared family-style:

Cucumber Salad

Chicken Fried Noodles

Sauteed String Beans with Garlic

Noodles with Minced Kurobuta Pork Sauce

Braised Beef Noodle Soup

Shrimp Fried Rice

Kurobuta Pork XiaoLongBao

Shrimp and Kurobuta Pork Pot stickers

I had only heard great things about the XLB (which were amazing!), so I was pleasantly surprised by how good everything else was! We doubled the orders for the XLB and fried rice, and it came out to the perfect amount of food for our party of 8. As for the XLB, I'm now a believer! They probably would have tasted even better if I had eaten them the proper way (apparently you're supposed to poke a hole in the dumpling and drink the soup first!).

DIN TAI FUNG

Del Amo Fashion Center, 21540 Hawthorne Blvd #519

Torrance, CA 90503

(310) 214-1175

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Off-Island: BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse - Torrance

Our second night in Torrance we decided to once again go to Del Amo Fashion Center for dinner - specifically BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. 

We dined at a different BJ's location once before and LOVED the deep dish pizza so we were once again looking forward to the pizza.

DH and I started off with the Avocado Egg Rolls. I thought it was okay - it was a little mushier than I had expected, and I thought the sweet tamarind sauce was a little too sweet for me. DH, however, really liked the egg rolls.

DH ordered the Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, which we actually ended up sharing.  It was really, really good (DH said it was his favorite meal of the entire trip).

 DS2 had the Kids Chicken Tenders.

 DS1 had the Kids Mac 'n' Cheese.

I actually ordered a Roasted Turkey Cobb Sandwich with Wedge Fries - but I didn't eat it at all since DH and I shared the pizza (we did eat the sandwich for lunch the next day and it was very good).

Since we had signed up for BJ's Premier Rewards, we received a coupon via email for a free Mini Pizookie (pizza cookie) or a Handcrafted Soda, and we ended up getting the Pizookie (original Chocolate Chip with Vanilla Ice Cream).  It was actually a lot bigger than I had expected, and it tasted as good as it looked.

The service was a bit slow that day (the guests at a table next to us were there way before we were and for some reason their order kept getting delayed and the manager kept coming by to apologize to them), but our server was friendly and the food was DELICIOUS!

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse is still one of our faves to dine at while on the mainland!

BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse: 3525 West Carson Street #168, Torrance, CA 90503; (310) 802-6440

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Off-Island: The Lazy Dog Cafe - Torrance

Since our family was staying at the Torrance Marriott South Bay, which was right across the street from the Del Amo Fashion Center, we decided to find a place in the mall to eat dinner and ended up at the The Lazy Dog Cafe.

On the kids menu, a fun item they offer (which keeps the kids busy while waiting for their meals to arrive) is a Licorice & Fruit Loops Dog Collar.  The items actually come in a little container and the kids just assemble their dog collars themselves.

As for the food, we started off with the Sweet Potato Tater Tots, which was served with a Roasted Jalapeno-Lime Aioli.  It was really, really good, and the sauce was nice and spicy.  DS3 loved the tater tots (without the sauce, of course).

DS1 got the Mac 'N' Cheese with Sliced Apples.

DS2 got the Hand-Breaded Chicken Nuggets with French Fries.

DH ordered the Bleu Cheese New York.

I ordered the Chicken Club.  It was very good and filling.

Dinner was great at The Lazy Dog Cafe, and our server, Amanda, was just awesome.  She was one of the best servers we had in a really long time.

The Lazy Dog Cafe: 3525 Carson Street, Torrance, CA  90503; 310-921-6080

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Off-Island: Torrance Marriott South Bay

Our family recently stayed at the Torrance Marriott South Bay, where DH had some business to do.

We stayed in a Double Bed Room ($249/night AAA rate).

The room was basic, but nice.

The property itself overall is really nice.  I like how they offer flavored water at the lobby entrance, and even fresh fruit.

Everyone on the staff we encountered was super friendly, especially Paul, the concierge.  He even gave our boys a fun Nickelodeon bag filled with all kinds of goodies.

The hotel is right across the street from the Del Amo Fashion Center, so it's easy access lots of great stores and restaurants.  Of course you can also dine right on the property or at other places nearby.

Parking is $15/night ($17 valet) in a detached parking structure.

Although it was a quick stay, it was a very nice one.

Here are more photos of our room and the property:

Torrance Marriott South Bay: 3635 Fashion Way, Torrance, CA, 90503; 310-316-3636

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