Steam

Steam Restaurant Review:

With Tai Pan's success at the high end of contemporary Chinese food, the same family launched this venture on University Avenue in the heart of Palo Alto's bustle to provide lower price, but still not inexpensive, dim sum. Order by marking quantities with a dry erase marker on laminated individual menus, and the staff visible behind a low glass wall will make dishes to order. Dumplings, soups, stir-fries and more dumplings deliver what one needs and expects from dim sum: fast plates that are easy to share and rich with intense Chinese flavor. Dumplings dominate, from cloud-like white dough enveloping spicy pork buns to tender, opaque sheets pinched around shrimp. Crunchy shrimp balls look like fireworks and crackle with taste. Beef soup and jasmine rice are hearty dishes to share. A range of dumplings, from sweet bean to custard, are available for dessert.