dan modern chinese - pasadena

"This small local chain started in Pasadena in 2018, but has quickly expanded to four locations in Greater LA, including one on Sawtelle, thanks to their handmade dumplings and noodles. The star on Dan’s small menu is the dan mein - the thick, homemade noodles have a nice chewy bite to them and get stir-fried with your choice of protein in a sweet garlic sauce, which we think goes best with the tender short ribs. Besides the delicious dan mein, we like the especially crispy pan-fried dumplings and fried rice, which is prepared with a generous amount of Dungeness crab. " - fiona chandra, kat hong

"This small local chain started in Pasadena in 2018, but has quickly expanded to several locations around Greater LA, including one on Sawtelle, thanks to their handmade dumplings and noodles. The star on Dan’s small menu is the dan mein—the thick, homemade noodles have a nice chewy bite to them and get stir-fried with your choice of protein in a sweet garlic sauce, which we think goes best with the tender short ribs. Besides the delicious dan mein, we like the especially crispy pan-fried dumplings and fried rice, which is prepared with a generous amount of dungeness crab. Food Rundown Short Rib Dan Mein These thick, handmade noodles (which shouldn’t be confused with dan dan mian) are stir-fried with a sweet, garlicky sauce, shitakes, and snow peas, and are the best thing on the menu. While you can also get chicken, shrimp, or vegetables, we think the short rib goes best with the sweeter sauce and the bouncy, chewy noodles. Dungeness Crab Fried Rice The wok-fried rice here is cooked just right–you get that wok hei from the high heat of wok frying and the grains of rice never stick together. There's a pretty generous amount of fresh crab meat mixed into the garlicky fried rice too, though there’s always an option to add extra. Crispy Pan Fried Pork Dumplings Dan's offers dumplings with three different preparations, including steamed and regular pan-fried, but the one to get is the crispy pan-fried dumplings that give you that crispy crust/dumpling skirt at the bottom. Keep in mind that this particular preparation takes up to 30 minutes, but it’s always worth it." - Fiona Chandra

"Dan is a low-key dumpling and fried rice spot in Pasadena. You’ll think about the dungeness crab fried rice until you go to sleep, and then again when you wake up the next day. The xiaolongbao are soupier than some other soup dumplings in town, which is a good thing when the broth is quite this tasty. The ones with blue crab and pork should be your first order of business. Tack on some super garlicky sauteed green beans, and call it a meal. Be prepared for a line if you go at peak times, but things move pretty quickly here." - Brett Keating

"Dan, a modern Chinese eatery specializing in dumplings and noodles, opened last week in Pasadena next to the Sunlife Organics in The Commons on South Lake, recently adding dinner hours. The bright woods and modern furnishings of the interior at Dan feel right at home at The Commons’ collection of slick eateries, but it’s the food where the restaurant might make a serious mark on the SGV dining landscape. Unlike the typical SGV-area Chinese restaurant where menus can span multiple pages and dozens of items, the menu at Dan is brief and focused. Owner James Kim is intent on playing some of Chinese cuisine’s greatest hits for his Pasadena audience, with an attention to detail that would do the dishes justice. Traditionalists might cry foul at the notion that one place could possibly have good versions of everything it serves; the notion of “one place specializing in one dish” is a persistent narrative. Kim is determined to break through those old assumptions with the requisite care and attention to detail, starting with the xiaolongbao. The miniature steamed soup dumplings are the subject of lively debates among Angelenos, and Kim isn’t afraid to step into the fray. The xiaolongbao at Dan tends toward the latter, with warm soup on a pork and blue crab rendition bursting with savory porcine and sweet crab flavor. It’s all encapsulated in a substantive wrapper that’s basically the picture of perfect winter comfort food. Kim is also rolling out handmade noodles in soups, and the oxtail noodle soup is a showstopper. The broth is reminiscent of Korean kkori-gomtang (an oxtail soup with a thin broth similar to sullungtang), and is skimmed of fat to let the clean, savory and gently iron-inflected taste of oxtail broth to really come through. The meltingly tender oxtail meat and springy handmade noodles are also worth a look. Dan might stand for 'dumplings and noodles,' but there’s another component to be considered seriously: the fried rice. Dungeness crab fried rice arrives generously peppered with bits of crab meat. But the overall effect is a clever play between the sweet-and-savory Dungeness crab and an airy fried rice that showcases the back-of-house’s considerable finesse." - Euno Lee