![\"bao_bao\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/bao_bao.jpg\")
<\/a>We rush through the spitting snow and gusty winds into Bao Bao. Inside this charming dumpling house, which is quickly winning fame for its specialty, we shift gears and try the Spicy Pigs Ears ($6.08) for reasons all our own.<\/p>\nThe ears are hot stuff\u2013beware! The heat comes from arbol chili oil (also found in little pots on the table). Braised with kombu and black cardamom, they\u2019re then pressed and shaved. Gelatinous in texture, they\u2019re tucked in with napa cabbage, which gives the dish a good crunch. A slight sweetness derives from shanxi, a sorghum-based vinegar.<\/p>\n
Greens in Oyster Sauce ($7.08) mitigates the ears\u2019 spicy bite. A flavorful sauce complements excellent steamed white rice ($1.08).<\/p>\n
On to the dumplings. Our first indulgence, Steamed Hake, Burdock ($8.08), is like nothing we\u2019ve seen anywhere. \u201cThread-cut\u201d dumpling wrappers are ribboned layers enveloping the tender fish. Happily devouring our six pieces, we accelerate into our next plate of dumplings: the absolutely essential Lamb, Black Bean, Chili, Peanut ($8.08).<\/p>\n
The lamb is good, like my Scottish grandmother\u2019s. When lamb talks, it talks, and this dumpling says it all. Manager Chris Gilman tells us Bao Bao translates to \u201cwrapped treasure.\u201d Bite by bite, we share the discovery.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m enjoying Lion Stout from Sri Lanka ($8). Rich and almost sweet, I learn it is a favorite of Bao Bao\u2019s chef\/owner, Cara Stadler. Next up, beef and yellow curry dumplings ($8.08), seared. The browned exterior works well with the intense, curried meat.<\/p>\n
We love the serious tea menu here and we slip into an excellent chai ($4), steeped for four minutes\u2013perfect. We pair it with Pandan Leaf Panna Cotta ($6.08) for dessert. The coconut milk gives it a rich texture, and it\u2019s topped with mango puree.<\/p>\n
As for why most menu items are priced with .08 at the end, \u201cThe number 8 is considered to be very lucky in China,\u201d Gilman says. \u201cIt seems to be working its magic here, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
December 2014 West End Enchantment Portland’s stylish new dumpling palace has its own lucky dragon. Review by Diane Hudson We rush through the spitting snow and gusty winds into Bao Bao. Inside this charming dumpling house, which is quickly winning fame for its specialty, we shift gears and try the Spicy Pigs Ears ($6.08) for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[88],"class_list":["post-10225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-december-2014"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10228,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10225\/revisions\/10228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}