It's difficult to grow rice in northern China's dry climate, but wheat is put to good use in steamed dumplings and fluffy pan-fried buns, both filled with pork and leeks, and floury scallion pancakes rolled up around cold-cut-thin slices of pork belly and sticks of carrot and daikon.
It's where you'll find incredibly fluffy pan-fried pork buns and some of the thinnest, lightest scallion pancakes in the San Gabriel Valley; they seem more like notebook paper than pancakes.
There is little love lost between them – Slater's recipe is unashamedly cakey in method, requiring one to beat 250g unsalted butter and 300g golden caster sugar until fluffy, while melting 200g chocolate above a pan of simmering water.
Snackers can opt for traditional breads such as a chewy pan de bono or a fluffy almojábana (al-moe-HAH-bah-nah; $1.25 each), with coffee, or perhaps a tetero: molasses-sweetened hot water capped with steamed milk (large; $3).
Because even before you find a seat in Michael Cimarusti's massive New England-style seafood complex, you already know that you're going to be looking at chilled oysters, littlenecks and cold boiled shrimp; a cup of clam chowder — I suggest the clear, salty Rhode Island version; and salty, irresistibly fluffy Parker House rolls baked in a cast-iron pan.
For large mounds of fluffy eggs, let the eggs sit in the pan after pouring and resist any urges to whisk or agitate the mixture.
I was especially smitten with the penne al Gorgonzola, tortelloni ai porcini and pappardelle al sugo d'anatra, as well as a superb pan-seared rack of veal and fluffy ricotta cheesecake.
There should not be any dried up pieces or brown over-cooked egg pieces in your pan in order to keep the eggs fluffy and soft.
Make sure you don't over mix your batter and it doesn't sit too long before it's poured onto the pan, or your pancakes won't be fluffy.
When your eggs are light, fluffy and there is no runny egg left in the pan, remove them from the heat.
Runner-ups: Big Chinese-style fluffy steamed pork buns filled with char siu pork and pan-fried pork and vegetable dumplings.
