XLB (Portland, Oregon)

XLB is a pair of Chinese restaurants in Portland, Oregon, United States. Second-generation Chinese chef Jasper Shen opened the original restaurant along North Williams Avenue in the Boise neighborhood in January 2017. He and new business partner Laura Tran opened a second in northwest Portland's Slabtown district in 2019. XLB specializes in xiaolongbao and the limited menu also offers other soup dumplings, baozi, buns, noodles, and greens. The restaurants have received a generally positive reception, with the soup dumplings receiving the most praise. XLB ranked second in the "Best Chinese Restaurant" category in Willamette Week's 2020 readers' poll.

XLB
The Slabtown restaurant's window operation in northwest Portland in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic
Restaurant information
Owner(s)
  • Jasper Shen
  • Laura Tran
Food typeChinese
Street address4090 North Williams Avenue
2175 Northwest Raleigh Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Websitexlbpdx.com

Description

The original restaurant can seat up to 48 guests.[1][2] The interior features a portrait of Chinese martial arts film actor Gordon Liu painted by artist Michael Palaus. Designer Trish Grantham hung paper lanterns from the ceiling and had characters from the Chinese zodiac hand-painted across interior walls.[2] Willamette Week's Matthew Korfhage said of the restaurant's interior in 2017: "XLB's open-kitchen, fast-casual space is a clean-lined hall of ironized Asiatic kitsch, complete with stylized kung fu paintings, Qing dynasty lights hung at varied heights and a gold-painted wallpaper pattern of Chinese zodiac silhouettes—perfect dog, perfect snake, perfect rooster."[3][4] In 2020, Fodor's Inside Portland described the original XLB as a "bright, modern space with comfy booth and counter seating and colorful Chinese zodiac wallpaper".[5] The original XLB offers patio seating during summer months.[2]

The Slabtown location has a seating capacity of approximately 45 guests.[1] A pedestrian walkway outside the restaurants allows an additional 20 to 30 seats during summer months.[1][6]

XLB's menu features soup dumplings, baozi, buns, noodles, and greens.[7] The restaurant specializes in xiaolongbao, or dumplings filled with pork and soup.[8][9] Entrees have included the "light-battered five-spice" popcorn chicken, once described as "sweetly clove and cinnamon heavy with a slight afterglow of numbing Sichuan pepper", and a Shahe fen noodle stir-fry with beef strips.[3] Stir fries also have bok choy, green beans, and other seasonal vegetables such as Chinese greens from the Portland Farmers Market.[8] The drink menu includes beer, wine,[7] and lychee-lime soda.[6][1]

Korfhage described the menu, which started with approximately one dozen plates,[2] as "culled from Shen's childhood memories eating around town and in his own family's restaurants".[10] Early evening and late night happy hour specials are available, as of 2020.[5]

History
Exterior of the Slabtown restaurant in November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jasper Shen opened the original XLB along North Williams Avenue in Portland's Boise neighborhood in January 2017.[7][3] The second-generation Chinese chef had spent 2.5 years perfecting the craft of making xiaolongbao,[10][11] and as far back as 2014 had considered opening a Chinese restaurant with Sarah Pliner and Kat Whitehead, whom he opened the Asian-French restaurant Aviary in northeast Portland in 2011.[12] According to Korfhage, "Dumpling-crazed diners mobbed the former Aviary chef in droves, taxing his kitchen to the breaking point". Shen has acknowledged XLB "had a well-documented rough opening".[10]

In April 2019, Shen and new business partner Laura Tran confirmed plans to open a second location in northwest Portland's Slabtown district. The 45-seat restaurant is housed in the Leland James building and offers a menu similar to the original.[7][1] XLB has participated in The Oregonian's annual Dumpling Week, which sees local restaurants showcase special dumpling recipes.[13][14] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant operated via online delivery services.[15]

Reception

According to Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden, the original restaurant "opened with massive crowds, quickly becoming the neighborhood spot for Chinese food."[7] Andrea Damewood of the Portland Mercury wrote in late March 2017, "XLB received massive pre-opening press, and the line for counter service has often been out the door since day one in January".[16] She said, "XLB's namesake menu item is... fine. It's one of the best you can score in town at this point... Even the freshest of these soup dumplings stray toward inexpertly thick at the top—Shen is not hand-twisting each of these, obviously, so there's hope his still-learning staff will get better after a couple thousand more turns. The amount of soup and filling is just fine, if lacking any major sort of flavor pop." Damewood found the bok choy too salty and the pork and shrimp noodles "thick and gummy", and said the popcorn chicken "had an oddly off-putting flavor and left a dry mouthfeel", ultimately recommending the garlic eggplant with tofu and peas.[16]

In April 2017, Matthew Korfhage of Willamette Week complimented the popcorn chicken and opined: "The namesake dumplings are, by all accounts, inconsistent. An early visit found them too dry, a common complaint among people we've talked to. On a recent visit, they were terrific—bursting with lovely, savory, herbal, warming broth, accented with an on-point vinegar-shallot dipping sauce."[4] In November, he updated his review, writing, "Early on, the namesake dumplings were inconsistent. We didn't give up, and have been rewarded... From slightly dim beginnings, XLB has turned the lights on: It's now a powerhouse."[3] Furthermore, Korfhage said, "eight months in, XLB's soup dumplings are marvels of consistency: lovely, delicate kisses bursting with deep-flavored broth whose aroma blossoms out of the hole made by a curious fork."[10] XLB ranked second in the "Best Chinese Restaurant" category in Willamette Week's 2020 readers' poll.[17]

The Oregonian's Michael Russell included XLB's soup dumplings in his list of "Portland's 10 best dishes of 2017", writing, "At least until warring Seattle chains Din Tai Fung and Dough Zone decide to open a new theater to the south, XLB is the best place to find its namesake dumplings in Portland."[18] He included XLB in his 2020 list of "Portland's 40 best inexpensive restaurants".[19] Fodor's called the happy hour options "excellent" and the bao "especially tasty".[5]

See also

References
  1. Russell, Michael (April 26, 2019). "XLB will bring its soup dumplings to Slabtown". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  2. Bamman, Mattie John (January 17, 2017). "Get a Sneak Peek Inside XLB, Jasper Shen's New 'Home-Style' Chinese Restaurant". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  3. Korfhage, Matthew (November 6, 2017). "XLB Is the Only Place in Portland to Go for Soup Dumplings". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  4. Korfhage, Matthew (April 12, 2017). "Smallwares is Back, and an Aviary Chef is Making Shanghai Soup Dumplings—Life is Good". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. Fodor's Inside Portland. Fodor's. April 7, 2020. p. 185. ISBN 9781640972513. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  6. Russell, Michael (January 29, 2020). "Home-grown Portland soup dumpling spot XLB will open its Slabtown location Friday". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  7. Russell, Michael (January 17, 2017). "XLB starts steaming soup dumplings in North Portland this week". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  8. "XLB". Portland Monthly. ISSN 1546-2765. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  9. Korfhage, Matthew (November 6, 2017). "Introducing Our 2017 Restaurant of the Year: The Year of the Rooster". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  10. Zusman, Michael C. (December 13, 2016). "The XLB Soup Dumpling Craze Is Finally Coming To Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  11. Bamman, Mattie John (September 9, 2016). "Former Aviary Co-Owner Announces Chinese Restaurant Dedicated to Dumplings". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  12. Russell, Michael (January 29, 2018). "Dumpling Week is back! Meet the 30 participating restaurants and their special dumplings". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  13. Gabrielson, Kjerstin (January 29, 2020). "Dumpling Week is back, with 35 Portland restaurants offering special dishes". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  14. Russell, Michael (March 15, 2020). "ChefStable, one of Portland's most prominent restaurant groups, will close all 20 of its bars and restaurants". KGW. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020 – via The Oregonian.
  15. Damewood, Andrea (March 29, 2017). "A Town Deserving of Dumplings: Can XLB Provide Dumplings Worthy of Other West Coast Cities?". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  16. "Food, Drink, Restaurants: Congratulations to the winners + finalists of Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020". Willamette Week. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  17. Russell, Michael (December 18, 2017). "Portland's 10 best dishes of 2017". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  18. Russell, Michael (March 11, 2020). "Portland's 40 best inexpensive restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
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