Oma-Gosh: Dim Sum in Warren Land

Signs that dim sum is creeping in the from coasts are apparent every day. The latest is at Golden Mountain in Omaha, Nebraska. Forget the area is better known for Omaha Steaks, big money as in Warren Buffet or for cornhusking, when you're in Omaha closing your next deal, climb the Mountain. There are a few concessions -- it's not served on a cart, the menu is limited and it's not particularly inventive.

But, in the land of rib-eyes, how choosy can you be. Have you been there?

Dazzling Dumpling Infusion

It had been five years since I had the chance to return to Yank Sing, the San Francisco financial district dim sum palace that completely, forever, sealed my passion for the cuisine. It was and is something really, really good.

And, it was made better when my friend and former colleague Dave Chapman joined me for lunch at the Rincon Center location. Okay, maybe the company was as good as the food, but that's really not a fair comparison.

Every dish, including snap peas stir fried and served in a sweet brown sause, hit the mark. And, in about 30 minutes, we commited to a table littered with dishes of crab claws, shrimp dumplings, siu mai, shimp wrapped in skins, scallops fresh from the Bay and about 40 other varieties to which we saw sail past in steam carts.

Maybe we got there at the right time (about 11:30 a.m.) or maybe we were in the right spot, but there were an amazing number of wait staff and a graduate course in dumplings -- we were never short of choices, chances and calories.

Visit the web site and you'll see. Better yet, grab your chopsticks and get yourself over there now. If you've been there, what's your favorite?

LA Means Lots A Dim Sum

In honor of a stint in Los Angeles for an extended work visit, here's a post from Victor Tang regarding what considers the best dim sum in the Southland -- he calls his work Tangtastic. Decide for yourself. He gives you a step-by-step instruction on how to enjoy dim sum -- and recommends Ocean Star Seafood Restaurant, 145 N Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park -- (626) 308-2128.

Or maybe just his myspace page is worth seeing.

Yanking My Chain

Yank Sing, here I come. A two-day visit to San Francisco is in the offing -- and a chance to cruise by my favorite dim sum palace. Yesterday, I read a great line -- "What wiggles your wonton?" Yes, it's Yank Sing. Photos to come.

Dim Sum is for Lovers

Yes -- we're talking again about Dim Sum Funeral, the movie that just opened in the U.S. in a limited release in Los Angles. If we're lucky, it will go almost straight to the Internet -- a first in bypassing the DVD, airline and crappy hotel movie markets. Good to hear from one of the reviewers, Amy Stoody, who posted to this site (see the Dim Sum Diner Poster below. )Also interesting that the promo shot involved pool action -- one would have hoped the steamy scenes were involved steam carts and a creative use of coconut shrimp balls, but that would have been too obvious. Who's seen it?

Rise of the Phoenix

Someone likes what's happening on the Phoenix dim sum scene. Visit the Great Wall via a review by Phoenix New Times food critic Michele Laudig. She writes:

"Dumpings, rice congee and chicken feet; there's nothing not to love about dim sum. Ladies pushing the dim sum carts, stacked with metal steaming containers and rows of plates, pass by frequently, invariably bringing something new and irresistible that they didn't have the last go-round. On my visits to Great Wall, just when I thought I'd settled on a gluttonous number of dishes, I'd succumb to something too pretty to pass up, like flaky, golden pastries packed with mild curried beef, or a platter laden with roast duck, its shiny, crispy skin a deep shade of pomegranate."

It's Sunday morning. I'm hungry.

Get Sum Dim Sum

Who would have thought that Austin, Texas would introduce a great concept -- 24 hour dim sum, seven days a week. Are there franchises available?

Get Sum Dim Sum has been receiving great press after it's opening. The 45th & Lamar restaurant is the first of its kind in Austin, serving dim sum anytime, seven days a week. This site is still under construction, but I love its logo. Check it out.