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| - I was predisposed to liking Everyday Noodles based on the cute pun in its name -- in Chinese, the word for "noodles" is a homonym with the word for "face," so a common phrase that means "we see each other ['s face] everyday" sounds the same as "we see noodles everyday."
Then I found out that they are going to serve soupy dumplings (xiao long bao; henceforth, XLB for short), which is my absolute favorite comfort food. When I go back to LA or Taiwan, I always make multiple pilgrimages to the mecca of XLBs: Ding Tai Fun (http://www.yelp.com/biz/din-tai-fung-arcadia-5).
A good XLB should have a delicately thin but al dente skin; it should be dainty enough that it fits in one bite; and it should, above all, be piping hot (to the point of mouth burning) and bursting with juicy broth. I thought that if Everyday Noodles' XLB is anywhere near half as good as Ding Tai Fun's, I'd be thrilled.
Everyday Noodles's XLB is more than half as good as Ding Tai Fun's. I'm willing to bet that in a blind taste test, we'd find Everday and DTF in a statistical tie with 95% confidence.
Everyday runs on the same formula as DTF: a glass box kitchen that showcases the chefs making the dumplings in the front; pencils/paper order forms and efficient service, bright and cheerful decor, and sadly, a long long looooooong wait line. DTF is so famous in California that people drive up from San Diego and down from the North to eat there. Waiting for an hour or two (even if you showed up at 5pm on a week night) was just the rite of passage to XLB nirvana. At Everyday Noodles, we waited for 50 minutes, after showing up at 6:45 on a Friday night. By Pittsburgh standard, this is a bit on the long side, but DTF has trained me to wait it out. In the end, I'm glad our patience was rewarded.
Other than the XLBs (both pork and crabmeat&pork), there are also regular dumplings, several noodle dishes, and a few standard Chinese restaurant stuff (stir fry veggies, etc.). Of the two types of XLBs, we liked the pork-only a bit better than the crab/pork mix. The veggie dumplings are also excellent, though not quite at the level of DTF's. For the noodle dishes, we tried both the dan-dan (cold) and the pork sauce (hot). Both are very good (fresh pasta just tastes better), but I'd rather save more room for various dumplings. We also ordered some Chinese watercress in oyster sauce and an eggplant appetizer (cold); they are fine, but they are common place. Desserts are surprisingly good. Again, eat everything while it's hot!
All in all, this is a wonderful new addition to Pittsburgh. It is easily the best Chinese noodle shop this side of the continental US. If not for the (likely to grow) long lines, I really just might go see them everyday.
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