DIN TAI FUNG FOODIE NEIGHBORHOOD

Din Tai Fung is the foodie choice.

What I expected when I first heard of Din Tai Fung: A luxurious restaurant fit for an emperor jammed into a suburban mall near a vacant Sears store.

What I experienced going to Din Tai Fung? The company story printed in the menu called their history a legend and dining there a pilgrimage for many.

What I’ve reflected on since: It was a legendary foodie pilgrimage on a Sunday evening.

And a delicious story.

My wife has foodie friends tuned into the most current events and openings. As a group they like to think they’re way ahead of the pack. And they are.

Dinner at DTF created a mild competition among them. No one could get reservations, and these are people who know how to get around the first no, the second no, and every no after until they hear a yes. With them there’s always a chance they’ll get their way.

At least that’s where the smart foodie money is.

The ladies not getting reservations at DTF was funny, even if they didn’t laugh. Finally, they found the unobtainable dinner reservation, and they were shocked, like state of shock, OMG shock. I was too, but more at their shock than the reason for it. After all, we’re talking about another Chinese restaurant, right?

No, not just another restaurant, but a worldwide chain that somehow decided Washington Square was the ideal landing place in Portland Oregon. So there it was, an internationally famous name brand destination restaurant three miles from my house and my wife and her friends can’t get in, can’t clear that hurdle.

Before you start thinking this is some kind of passive aggressive snark take against women, consider that the women in the group are do-ers, they do things, they do things that get done, and they do it good.

Just not foodie good enough for Din Tai Fung.

The best part of the story? My son and his girlfriend had dinner reservations and even if no one would admit it, we were envious, jealous, a little downtrodden. At least some of us were based on overheard phone calls. I’ll be honest and admit I was looking forward to hearing a foodie review of the dinner, then the conversations between the ladies left out.

Except in one of those made for movie moments, wife and I got invited along on a double date. K made the Hail Mary phone call and got us in with them.

I expected a mall restaurant when I walked into the mall, but once I stepped inside the DTF pilgrimage I felt transported by the feeling of being somewhere else. If Taiwan feels any different than Washington Square when I visit, I’ll be surprised. Dinner Sunday night felt like an immersion experience.

The level of hustle and activity between the staff and patrons was high, and highly coordinated. I could tell the place had a game plan on traffic flow and timing, and they worked it beautifully.

I felt the comfort of joining an experience unlike any other, of being in sure hands with a goal of deliciousness. Din Tai Fung raised the bar for an evening of genuine foodie surprises.

Stay tuned for the investigative report on how we really got seated when no one else could. Knowing the reservation ropes is one thing, but K went to a whole nother level.