Tao Ran Ju

Interesting place - we tried the beef soup that was okay, the scallion pancakes which were a bit gummy, and a vegetable casserole that was... meh.  

Shame on us, the vegetable casserole was very bland and was designed that way.  Other items you create your own sauce by going up to what is essentially a sauce station.  There, you can mix about 15 different sauces from bbq, vinegar, sesame oil, hot oil, sesame sauce, etc...  This can be great if you know what you like, but somewhat intimidating when you have a bland dish and you don't know how to spice it up.

It was okay, but I don't feel the urge to rush back.  Maybe it was just what we ordered...

Service is pretty good for Chinatown here and they have some fantastic dishes.

My favorites are:
shou zhua bing - thousand layer pancake
xiao long bao - dumplings with broth+meat on the inside

I read somewhere that their dumpling chef used to work at Din Tai Fung.

I also had a fantastic lamb dish that comes on a hot plate here once, but I haven't been able to order it again because I don't know what it is called and I can't refind it on the menu :-(

Best soup dumplings in Chicago (which isn't saying much)! I read a rumor that one of the Din Tai Fung chefs now work here, so that goes to show that TRJ must have good technique. I've been to DTF in LA, and these are pretty darn close.  And if I remember correctly, Joe's Shanghai's soup dumplings in NYC are bigger but have thicker dumpling skins and a little more grease in their soup, just to compare.

We also ordered their beef noodle soup, which comes with two different types of noodles, so you have to specify which you want.  It was just ok.  We also got their infamous "shredded pancake," which is similar to roti canai but crispier - a fantastic bread to be used to sop up extra sauces!

Etc...
These tables are meant for individual hot pots, but we didn't get it.  It's BYOB, really clean and bright with a new interior, but it's cramped in here.  Don't come here with a party any larger than 4.