A suggestion for lunch en route, Phil’s Fish Market at Moss Landing. About two hours before you get to SF on hwy 1. 50/50 tourist and locals.
Cioppino and Fried Fish Platter. Fries, Garlic Bread, Cole Slaw, and… y’know, what regular fisherfolks eat at the local fish shack after a hard day on da water.
Great suggestion – I’d forgotten about Phil’s. We were there last spring and it was much the same as it used to be (although expanded). Moss Landing is picturesque, in a semi-industrial sort of way.
The big problem is the QPR and what is referred to as the classics or their interpretation of it. Don’t know if they still do this, but I remember once I found kernels of canned corn in their siu mai, which traditionally is not an ingredient and it made me wonder… You and I will differ on Yank Sing…for me I just can’t recommend that place to out of towners who want a more authentic experience closer to Hong Kong assuming that’s what they really want, but I know I’ve had some tasty dinners there in the 1990s to be fair.
But I do know Yank Sing’s strength is good service and all staff (including dim sum pushcart ladies) speak adequate and polite English (hopefully that is still the case), and in some ways no frills for the style that they offer, which makes it easier and comfortable for particular customer demographics that prefer this approach. This is why they have their fanbase.
It is possible those around you saw that are Chinese at the restaurant, are either used to that style, or more older generation and/or Americanized/westernized, or are comfortable. Maybe they are also regulars. For Mandarin speakers, they sometimes have a different yard stick to measure what they like for Cantonese.
From polling people I know whose tastes align with mine, including some known Cantonese local restaurant industry people, they are not fans of nor have they stated Yank Sing as a dim sum destination for similar reasons I stated, and they are far pickier than I am. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
But bottom line is @TheCookie can take a look at pictures on Yelp, maybe scan some reviews with grains of salt for both establishments, and then decide for herself where to go. 
and don’t just let presentation and photography fool you.
They still do carts?
Last time I went a while ago to Dragon Beaux, the dim sum maidens were hand holding trays of lightly stacked steamers or small plates of various bites, if I remembered correctly.
Robert can speak to the carts if any at YS.
IIRC, the things they carried were kinda “would you like this”? Maybe popular items or something. But we definitely ordered from the menu and those items were brought to us.
YS:
Yank Sing has carts plus servers walking around with trays plus you can ask for a paper menu and order anything you don’t see. The taro dumplings are the best I’ve had anywhere (provided they haven’t been out of the fryer too long). Also the best XLB in SF, but I’m sure you can get as good or better in LA.
Is it like Old Priest Grade? Our GPS took on this road once, and we knew nothing about it. @SpockSpork is a good driver, but I still almost lost my sh*t in more ways than one…
Yay! Will do.
Yes!
Nah, that part of Hwy. 1 is very curvy. OPG does have a cliff on one side, and it’s a hairy road, but at least it’s straight. And if you’re driving downhill on that grade, be sure to do it in low gear or guaranteed, your brakes will fade. I know this. :o)
Ha! I grew up driving Old Priest’s Grade (and other roads of that ilk) - hadn’t thought about it in years. 
@TheCookie - I am really enjoying this thread. Thank you for starting it!
I don’t think Highway 1 has any extreme grades. There are curvy stretches with hairpin turns here and there, so the speed limit is sometimes 35 or lower.
It’s an insanely impractical place to put a road.
Better than Bund Shanghai?
I admit to an aversion to XLB, a Shanghainese dish, at a dim sum place. They’ve gotten so trendy I guess everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. I’ve had them at both DTFs in Seattle and they are the best IMO.
It’s a good aversion to have… 
Gawd, maybe I wouldn’t have the horrible fear of heights that I do have, if had grown up on streets like that! Honestly, I got a little quesy driving through one part of the OC (a toll road) that went UPPPP and DOOOWWWWNN (it was being able to see the elevation changes rather than the motion itself, since I don’t get car sick).
There are times when Bob is driving that I have to look to the left and sometimes even lean (hard) that way. And one time on a quiet road I actually had him pull over and I drove so I didn’t have to see ‘it.’ I stopped riding horses because even their backs were too high off the ground. So, yeah, I get it.
You’re one of the Cool Kids. These poor folks seeking an authentic Chinese Yum Cha Experience were seated in the fon gwai section.
Pic by CathOliver upstream.
Realistically, no biggie. Having an Americanized Dim Sum experience in the USA can be a good thing.
You betcha. Except for Bob and me I don’t know a single “gringo” who will eat chicken feet, one of our faves I’m sure they’d rather they not even pass by on a cart 
I’m pretty sure Yank Sing still brings chicken feet around on the carts. Duck feet too sometimes?
Oh, I’m sure they do. I just have seen plenty of people who wished they didn’t Duck feet? Cool. Haven’t seen those. We had duck tongues at Elite in SGV a few years ago.
