October 6: Dough Zone

A little more than a year ago, one of the biggest reasons I looked forward to the company move to Pioneer Square was the proximity of the International District. Specifically, naïve me expected to have Din Tai Fung level food just a few blocks away.

Then I had my first meal at Ping's Dumpling House, and was disappointed.

Fortunately, I discovered other great places in the I.D., like Tofully, Thai Curry Simple, and Samurai Noodle. Another Din Tai Fung location opened in Pacific Place in early March, so I've eaten there a few times, too.

Then in November, Eater Seattle ran this story, announcing that Dough Zone would was several months away from opening its fifth location. Their report included the preposterous line, "many consider [it] superior to international competitor Din Tai Fung." Pshaw.

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I stopped by last week. They hadn't opened yet, but were polishing the floors and fixtures. It opened Monday.

The dining room is airy, with artsy dangling red and grey (felt?) disks suspended from the ceiling, twisting in the breeze. As a solo diner, I was seated immediately at "the bar", a long table in the middle of the room. The restaurant appeared full, but I also didn't see anyone waiting.

Despite the warning on the door, "Dough Zone soft opening, limited items available", service was prompt. I ordered a basket of the pork xiao long bao and oolong tea. It took just a few moments for the Thermos carafe of tea to arrive, and about 12 minutes for the dumplings.

Superior to Din Tai Fung? Not quite, but pretty dang close. I withdraw my pshaw.

The dumplings felt a little thinner, a little emptier, and with just a little less substance. Still, they were delicious and mouth-scalding, and in a blind taste test, I probably couldn't tell the difference.

To my left, a group discussing harassment and whether "no" means no unless it's said three times (spoiler: once is plenty) had some tasty looking green onion pancakes and what I think was sweet and sour cucumber. To my right, a guy planning a trip to China via L.A. (yes, avoid LAX as best you can) and his friend were enjoying pot stickers, broccoli with oyster sauce, and spicy beef shank. It all looked great.

The ability to get a seat instantly for DTF-quality dumplings is huge. The only downside was that it's really designed for groups to share, not a solo diner. $4.50 for a thermos of tea is expensive for one person, but reasonable for two or three. I'd have liked to have more than the long bao, but at $11.50 for a basket of ten, it didn't make sense to get two other similarly-priced entrees. And the long bao was so good, I couldn't bring myself to eat there again without getting it.

You should eat there with me next time.

Dough Zone
504 5th Ave S
Pork xiao long bao, oolong tea, $20.46