THESKINI.COM

January 2004

Dim Sum Baby

by Matthew Kempf

Yangtze Restaurant
5625 Wayzata Blvd St. Louis. Park • 952.541.9469
Dim sum brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Yangtze or Chang-jiang as the Chinese call it, means long river. Yangtze here in the Twin Cities is synonymous with dim sum and "long lines." Dim sum is dumplings, spring rolls, and various other traditional Chinese dishes served in small portions as a meal. You pick and choose as the food is presented to you on small carts and eat all the little delights family style. Sounds like a fabulous, make your own tasting menu to me.

When you arrive, don’t let the strip mall façade fool you. This is actually one of the best dim sum restaurants in the Twin Cities. Walk in and enjoy the typical hustle of any Chinese restaurant. If you get there early enough you won’t have to worry about getting a table, but if you do find a line, it’s worth the wait.

Sit down enjoy some tea and get ready for the feast to begin. Pork and peanut dumplings, har gao, shrimp and eggplant... mmmm, I’m getting hungry. Little shrimp sui mai and barbeque pork buns so soft, sticky and hot. Seriously, I’m going to get some dim sum! It is better to go with a large group so you can sample as much as possible. Many items come in threes so make your group three or more and it works out perfect. Skip the typical Sunday brunch of "let’s use up everything we didn’t sell over the weekend" or scrambled eggs and hash, and make a beeline to Yangtze. Here you can select as you go, right from the steaming cart of love. Small Chinese treats served in bamboo or stainless steel steamers for between $2 and $5 each means you are not spending a lot either. If you had too much fun the night before, you get a bonus because this is some of the best recovery food around.

Though they offer a full range of Cantonese cuisine, it’s the weekend dim sum brunch that attracts the crowds and it should you too. Dim sum brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

...Now That's Theskini!::permalink

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