Road Trip: Elite Restaurant - Monterey Park(LA)

The Missus and I have a tradition, during the Sunday of a time change, we attempt to make the best of the extra hour, by celebrating and having brunch. When we wind the clocks back...well, we celebrate by having brunch! However, on this day we decided to shake things up a bit, and have some Dim Sum. Why? Well, this year the time change occurred a week later, causing mild discombobulation. But more importantly, it seems that the Missus and I have a black cloud following us around to brunch. Last year, we had brunch at one of our favorites, The Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, one month later the brunch was closed, and the Red Lion became a Crowne Plaza Hotel. This past March, we enjoyed our time change brunch at European Bistro, and wouldn't you know it, a few months later, Chef Axel had stopped serving brunch. I've heard the change is temporary, but last time I checked, they are still not serving brunch. Now the Missus and I had become concerned that if this pattern were to continue, Jim, the Sunday Brunchmaster might start hunting us down...... And we wouldn't want that! So, what to do? Dim Sum seemed like a good solution, but we wanted something a bit different, not the usual stuff. One of the places on my "list" was Elite Restaurant. In it's former incarnation Elite was called New Concept, and I had been waiting to eat there, but never had the chance. I was a bit disappointed, but after reading Dylan's post  on his meal at Elite, on his wonderful blog, Eat, Drink, & Be Merry, I couldn't wait. So what's so special about Elite? Well much like Happy Harbor, Sea Harbor, and Mission 261, Elite represents the "New Wave" of Dim Sum service, that would be menu service(no cart here), and interesting, sometimes innovative, creations. I couldn't wait.....

One other item. On weekends Elite opens at 9am, which meant that we could take advantage of our "extra hour". Alas, due to some minor timing issues we arrived at 915 am, and were amazed at how packed the place was!

Elite was much different from the "usual" image of Dim Sum Houses. The restaurant was not the typical cavernous, giant Dim Sum restaurant. It became quite clear that there was no way this restaurant could ever accommodate carts without removing half the tables. Also, tasteful colors, decor, and lighting, replaced much of the faux Chinese ornamentation. Since we had just "missed the boat" we knew there would be a wait ahead of us, which gave us time to peruse the menu, and "people watch". It was pretty amazing how many people tried different strategies for getting ahead in line, from hovering around, to aggressiveness, to applying pressure. I'm wondering how many times the Chinese equivalent of  the LA-ish "do you know who I am" was used! Seated customers who knew people waiting would welcome them to their table, moving and adding chairs, suddenly a two-top became a very cramped 5 top. Very nice for their friends, bad for increasing the wait of others...... 50 minutes later, we were seated in a nice quiet corner in one of the side banquet rooms, ready to order after going through the menu. We decided to have some "interesting" items, and a few standards.

Off we go. Baked Durian Pie($2.98):

This was wonderful. Think of it as a Durian Cream Puff. The very light, melt in your mouth Choux-like pastry is filled with Durian Cream. Perhaps the filling was a tad on the sweet side, but we both thought that the best aspects of durian were presented in the custardy-slightly nutty flavor, with very little of the cheesy-old socks scent. Having a bite of this pastry, followed by a sip of tea, was a combination made in heaven.

Macau Egg Custard($2.98):

One of those Dim Sum staples. This version had a nice and light crust. The custard was also light, though also a bit too sweet for me.

For the Missus, one of Her hallmark dishes, is the Taro Gok(Fried Taro Dumplings/Balls). There is a fine balance between oily, and light and crisp, and the flavor can tend to the bitter side if the balance of filling ingredients is not right. We ordered this from the server since it isn't on the menu.

When it arrived, I wasn't too impressed at the very light color. But one taste of the crisp, light as a feather, dumplings, with a perfectly balanced filling, I knew I had met the best version of this I've had in a while. The addition of preserved vegetable was a nice touch, both in flavor and texture.

Thai Style Papaya with Goose Feet($5.98). sounds really interesting, doesn't it?

Think of deboned Goose Feet and sliced green papaya flavored like Chinese spicy pickles(like Kimchee). This was a nice refreshing change of pace. The flavor teetered on the edge of being too sweet. The spiciness was on the mild side. In fact, I added a good amount of chili paste to this. Goose feet won't be everyone's cup of tea, the texture consists of several levels of crunchy, from the leg portion which is chewy and tender, to the webbed portion which can be pretty hard.

Home Style Pork Legs w/Peanut in Special Sauce($5.98):

This was a hearty five-spice flavored broth, very rustic and home style. The pig's feet were tender, with a good amount of gelatin. The boiled peanuts added nice flavor and texture contrast. The only thing we didn't care for were the super hard and tough bamboo shoots. I was also wishing for a nice bowl of rice...........

The Macau Roasted Pork($5.98):

This was the dish I saw on Dylan's post that had me adding Elite to my list. And it delivered as promised, 12 Andes Mint sized slices of the most perfectly roasted pork belly, served in perfect proportion of velvety and sweet fat, a thin layer of light and crisp skin, and a layer of meat made this an excellent dish. Served with salt and hoisin, which were not needed. Very rich, we(ahem, I) only finished 4 slices.

Bamboo Pith Fungus & Sea Cucumber Wrap($2.98):

First let me say, I'm not a big fan of of Bamboo Pith Fungus (zhu sun - 竹荪). In fact, every time I've tried it, I hated it. I think it has a strong, earthy-muddy-bitter flavor that tastes like medicine. The Bamboo Pith Fungus in this dish was fabulous, with a delicate earthiness to it. The rest of the dumpling was problematic. It was so large, dominated by the shrimp cake, that you really couldn't taste anything else. We took it apart to sample the different flavors. Proportionally, not very good, I'd like something smaller with better balance.

The Scallop Steamed Rice Noodle(Cheong Fun - $2.98):

The Cheong Fun was sadly, a disappointment. Though it looked beautifully lacquered, and a had a good amount of scallop in it, the noodle was tough, and without a nice pull and elasticity. The scallops were flavorless, and the sauce tasted like almost pure soy sauce.

Shark's Fin Dumpling in Supreme Soup Stock ($5.08)

For us, this was all about the broth, rich, with sweet-peppery tones. The huge dumpling residing in the middle was full of various seafood and pork, most of which were bland and tasteless. The dumpling wrapper was terrible, gummy and tough. That broth though..........

Shark Fin & Red Clam Dumplings($3.98):

A trio of very large steamed dumplings. Again on the bland side with the flavor of the masago dominating. The Red Clam (aka Surf Clam/Hokigai) was basically a garnish for the rest of the dumpling. Another case of out of proportion flavors.

Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf($2.98). One of the Missus's favorite. Compared to the enormous dumplings these looked positively dainty.

The Missus said that these were good, nice flavor, and hot. There's a piece of abalone in the center of the rice, but it was super over cooked, tough, and flavorless. The Missus was satisfied, though.

And overall, so was I. We didn't eat too much.....I know that you're thinking we went insane here, but we've got a frig loaded with leftovers. The total damage, including tea was $51, less than what we'd usually spend at a good Buffet Brunch. I think the "super-sized" dumplings may appeal to some, but it really knocks the flavors out of balance. Also, I've also considered dumplings at Dim Sum service to be nice and delicate, full of flavor. Service was very good, considering the restaurant was stuffed to the gills. The Missus still preferred the flavors at Happy Harbor....but that pork......

Prices:

Small - $1.98

Medium - $2.98

Large -  $3.98

Special - $5.08

E Special - $5.98

No not cheap, but some of the dishes are a notch above!

Elite Restaurant 名流山莊
700 S Altantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Hours:

Mon - Fri 10am-3pm, 5pm-10pm
Sat-Sun  9am-3pm, 5pm-10pm

This is what the crowd outside the restaurant looked like when we left.

Comments

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Ack! That crowd has kept me from trying Elite. I really should one of these days though. Especially after seeing your description. :)

[santos.]

man, i am too lazy to post my elite photos--too many! good to see we order the same dishes, so now i don't have to post most of mine :)

regarding the macau roast pork--you should have gotten a dish of *sugar* and hoisin, not salt. the sugar helps bring out the caramelized flavour of the skin and enhances the sweetness of the meat. if you got salt, it means...more rice!

[Kirk]

Hi WC - Man, you're fast, I just posted this! 50 minutes is longest I ever remember waiting...or having enough patience to wait for a table at a Dim Sum restaurant.

Hi Santos - It was salt...couldn't figure what the heck. The pork really didn't need anything, it was that good. Of course you need to post your photos...you must!

[nhbilly]

WoW the bbq piggy is so so yummy. I really need to venture out.

[Liz]

I wanted to go to this restaurant for the longest time, since it is so close to me. But we have kids, and can't afford to wait that long. But we will go one of those days when the kiddies are shipped to the grandparents. :)

[clayfu]

Back in the day that used to be this restaurant that served some of the best sweet and sour pork. Haha yes.. i ordered sweet and sour pork =P.

[elmomonster]

Oh my! I don't know how I missed this when Dylan posted on it. Glad you did this one. Pork belly here I come!

[Kirk]

Hi Billy - This place is pretty good - if you don't mind the wait.

Hi Liz - Yeah, the wait is kinda crazy....but people (including us) were willing to wait. The prices really aren't too bad, especially if you're used to San Diego prices.

Hi clayfu - Nothing you eat or say surprises me! LOL!

Hi Elmo - I don't know how you missed this one either! I'm sure I'll be reading a post soon.

[The Office Goat]

Holy cow! Road trip worthy, indeed!! But oy, the crowd ...

[Chubbypanda]

Cat has that same problem. Every time she really falls in love with a store or product, it ends up closing or is discontinued. I tease her that she should market her services as a predictor for the long tail.

[Kirk]

Hi TOG - If the line when we arrived was like the one when we were leaving, we'd have bailed. Pretty good interesting stuff here.

Hi CP - Man, I hate when stuff like that happens....you finally get something you like, and bam.....it's like they shut the door on your foot!

[Jeff c]

Kirk,
Glad you finally got to go on the road trip to Elite. I definitely will have to try this place next time I'm in Los Angeles.
I was initially put off by the "swankiness" of the place but I see that they really go all out for their ingredients.

[Kirk]

Hi Jeffrey - But did you notice the 'B' Health Dept Grade.....how swanky is that? ;o) I think they do better on the friend, and more interesting items....

[Jim]

Hey Kirk,

For awhile there, I thought you and the Missus were going to my favorite brunch spots with that cursed Dior Handbag!!! Whew, thank goodness you changed things this year. Keep that damn purse away from the Westgate!

It’s too bad, but Chef Axel has closed his restaurant indefinitely…too much catering work.

[Kirk]

Hi Jim - Yeah, we sure had a cloud following us around when it came to buffets. And we really didn't want to curse another buffet....god forbid the Westgate!

[Kady]

Kirk! Long time..how are you? I've been going through extreme dim sum withdrawl since moving so my husband and I are driving down to LA for dim sum this Sunday (and might squeeze in Thai and Sichuan food while we're there..oh, and of course a trip to Ranch 99). It's sick, I know. I only have one day/night! So, should I go to Elite? I love bao and dumplings/shumai/har gow. What do you recommend? (please help!)

[Kirk]

Hi Kady - How are you! we all miss you! Places like Elite, Sea Harbor (3939 N. Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770), Mission 261(261 S Mission Dr, San Gabriel CA 91776) make the upscale "new style Dim Sum. I think you'll be pleased. Make sure to get soe Xiao Long Bao when you have a chance as well. You may enjoy the Sichuan from ChungKing - the chef from Ba Ren used to be head chef there.