Roberto Carlos ..
Yelp
We decided to take the Journey to "Journey To The Dumpling".
Being new-ish to the Elk Grove area we decided to return and try Journey - as we've continually heard many good things about this establishment.
When we arrived at Journey, looking through the windows, we noticed that all the tables were filled with people eating joyfully and fastidiouslty, smiles and conversations abuzz, but not too loud.
We could tell that all the staff looked very busy, and we were very surprised as to how happy everybody's faces looked whilst serving the multitude of customers.
As we entered through the door we were promptly and happily greeted by Arri. She asked how many people were in our party, reviewed the waitlist, and said that our table would be ready approximately 25, or so. As she spoke, and although she was wearing an N95 mask, her sincere voice and obvious smile came through, not withstanding the mask, in the tone of her voice and through her expressive eyes. She asked for our number stating that we would receive a text once our table was ready.
As we left, we noticed that the line of people waiting to be seated was a bit surprising. We were thinking that this place must be really good.
We took this time to explore the nearby stores...
Time flew by and we were excited when we received the text that our table was ready.
We entered Journey and were promptly seated by Randy, our waiter.
Randy asked if this was our first visit and asked if he could bring us some drinks as we perused their menu.
We ordered ice water, and I ordered a Long Island Iced tea. He looked up sharply, laughed, and said that they did not have Long Island Iced tea at this location, but that the other Journey To The Dumpling location in Midtown Sacramento offered beer, Soju (Using the Golden Ratio),and wine, but no hard liquor or cocktails. Ahhhh, too bad! A few minutes later Randy returned took our order.
As we waited for our food and appetizers to arrive, we once again noticed how busy Journey was, and how quickly and efficiently the staff moved throughout the restaurant helping other customers, taking orders, bringing food to their tables, and supplying customers with utensils and re-filling drinks as requested. It was almost as if Ryan, Cris, and Josh (and the other staff ) were a well trained roller hockey team. They moved so smoothly as if with practiced dexterity and with brutal grace - a combination of contrasting elements, like strength and elegance!
Not once did any of the staff miss a customers' request for service or fail to quickly clean off a table in preparation for the next awaiting customer.
Wow! What a team!
Good job guys! Whoot whoot!
The food came out and I'm happy to say that we enjoyed every bite of the food that was placed in front of us.
The smell, taste, texture, and savory aromas were yummy and intoxicating.
We ordered the following:
Barbecue pork - sliced
Har gow - Shrimp dumplings
Xiao long bau - soup noodles
Cucumber salad
Garlic green beans
Chicken chow fun
Wontons in chili oil
& Minced pork baos
We'll definitely return as we saw many more decidedly delictible items on the menu that we can't wait to try.
That said, the Journey to the Journey was well worth the Journey!
The only thing that was lacking was the Long Island Iced tea that I was so yearning for. Oh well. I'll probably grab a my favorite tea just before we return. Lol. JK!
Pictures to follow in a subsequent review, a when the food hit the table, we were scarfing it down! No apologies! Just a big Yummy!