dumplings - the pianissimo and the forte

Well, after seeing the recommendations on Chowhound, I decided to try two of the three places for myself.
It's always fun to find then try different places to eat!

The first place was labeled "Luscious Dumping" on Chowhound by one of the contributors. When I got there, it turned out the name was M-X Eatery or something to that effect. Located on the southwest corner of Las Tunas and San Gabriel, this restaurant is tucked into a mini-strip-mall that also included a Taiwanese bakery and a Red Ant Cafe (significance of Red Ants for Chinese people? seen a lot of cafes with this name recently).
After parking in a predictably small parking lot, I got out and found the restaurant between the bakery and Red Ant. The lights weren't on. The place felt like a cave. I have to admit, I hesitated. But I came out to try this place so try I did. Come to find out it was cold as well. I ended up returning to the car and grabbing my sweatshirt. It was quite obvious that the owner wasn't expecting very many customers. The restaurant was staffed by two people, presumably husband and wife. They were huddled over in a far corner poring over a newspaper and looking at their computer. I later found out from the waiter/owner, that business had been bad since August of last year! Later, despite compliments about the food, he said that's nice but it won't help his business. Sadly, it looks like they're soon going be a victim of the current recession. (Hope this wasn't a matter of mainland vs island as I think the owner/waiter was from China (the special was Beijing something or other). He was sandwiched between two presumably Taiwanese stores.)

Anyways, on to the food. After sitting down, waiter/owner hustled over to hand me a menu and a pot of tea. This place really was focused on dumplings. The menu was divided into about three sections: soup noodles/noodles, steamed dumplings, and pan fried dumplings. Most of items were around six dollars. I wanted to try something I've never tried before, so I ordered the steamed pork and lotus (root) dumplings. While waiting, I checked out the hot sauce container...this is key for me. Despite the dreary setting, the level of sauce in the hot sauce container and the type of sauce (chili oil, chili sauce (seeds or no seeds) to me says something about the quality of the restaurant. It was almost empty, just vacant oil and very little chili flakes/seeds. Pretty much reflects the mood of the place!

The dumplings arrived in a metal container. There about 8-10 - I don't remember the exact number. They tasted good, very meaty, but I found the meat a bit dry. The skin was a little on the thick side though not enough to take away from the meal.

I thanked the owner/waiter for the meal and left a small tip. The service was adequate and friendly if you engaged him in conversation. But, overall, despite the OK taste and texture of the dumplings, it was a rather dreary experience.
Maybe business will pick up...most likely not.

The second business was on Garvey just west of Del Mar, after the Hilton hotel. This also happened to be the location of the third dumpling restaurant. The one I labeled second is called Jin Jiang Eatery. This is one of numerous Taiwanese delis in the area and it was packed! What a difference from the first! Waitresses were in a whirlwind of activity shouting orders, bringing out orders and clearing tables. It is a small place and there was a nice line stretching out the door. Bright yellow walls surrounded the diners and a refrigerator full of Taiwanese cold cuts stood in the corner next to the kitchen entrance. I ended up waiting next to the fridge for my order and I could smell the wine coming off the chicken cold plates. Platters of steaming xiao lung bao (forgive the poor pin-yin - my Chinese is a product of a Beijing lao-shi in univerity, oh...many years ago :) ) Xiao lung bao is for those not-yet-in-the-know, is a steamed pork dumpling that retains a mouth watering amount of meat juice while being cooked. Because the place was so full, I decided to order some to go. I needed a potluck offering for a gathering later, anyways. When I received them, the dumplings looked plump and the steam was rising off of them sensuously! Sadly, I didn't try one right away...I should of. By the time I brought them to the potluck, they were somewhat dried. (Though not as dried as they could of been. I reheated them in the oven with three foil trays. The bottom tray had a small amount of water on the bottom, the second containing the bao was placed right in the first and the third was placed convexly to cover the second. This stayed in the oven at 175 F for about 30-40 minutes.)

So, between the two, pick your poison. Dreary, quiet, decent food vs bustling, crowded, and, despite not tasting the fresh product, better food.

Though, soon, I don't think you'll have the luxury of a choice between the two.

The third is Mei Long Village, as mentioned just before located in the same complex two restaurants down from Jin Jiang eatery. That review will have to come later...

What do you guys think? Has anyone been to either of these two restaurants?