Everyday Noodles in Squirrel Hill belies the name, especially with its dumplings

The kind server at Everyday Noodles in Squirrel Hill stands in front of our bench, picks up a spoon big enough to be a ladle, and explains the proper way to eat a soup dumpling.

The dumplings resemble tiny satchels. Though not full of gold, these steamed creations are valuable morsels of savory pork and broth. Using chopsticks, he teaches us to pick up the delicate dough purse carefully, set it in the spoon, add a bit of special dumpling sauce if desired, and take a bite.

“But remember, they are molten on the inside.”

Thwomp!

Just beyond the server's shoulder, behind a large window, the kitchen is abuzz. Dough is launched into the air. While airborne, the dough forms a graceful arch before slamming to the counter below.

Thwomp!

This rhythmic dance is repeated dozens of times through the course of a meal. Breaks from the unconventional kneading provide the opportunity for other visual, yet less auditory, treats: noodle or dumpling crafting. The dough masters section off the formerly high-flying dough, hold a bit in one hand, and run it through their fingers.

David Blaine and his street magic can forget it — if you want to see a real magic trick, watch as these pros fashion perfectly round or flat noodles using only their hands. It is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Stacks of round, wood boxes stand ready to be filled with handcrafted dumplings. Each box steams eight delicious bites filled with either the aforementioned pork soup; pork, shrimp and vegetables; vegetables; pork and crab meat; or a limited Sunday run of shrimp with loofah soup (loofah is a sponge gourd).

Even in the dumpling section, the menu extends beyond the ordinary, bringing the skills of the Taiwanese chefs hurling dough to the tiny storefront.

Everyday Noodles opened in the winter of 2013, the brainchild of owner Mike Chen. Word quickly spread about the spectacle of food preparation and the interesting cuisine offerings.

Getting a seat immediately can often be tricky at peak hours for dinner and lunch, so expect a short wait. If you are lucky, you can snag a seat at one of the two benches that face the kitchen windows. Once seated, service is efficient and quick in the modern, airy space.

Paper menus are folded in cups on the table, and pencils are provided to mark your selections. Prices are very reasonable, so it is hard to not go overboard with the amount of food ordered. A party of four can eat heartily for under $75 — with two desserts! Since sharing is caring, you should plan to enjoy dishes with friends and family.

After ordering, plates arrive at your table as they are prepared, not all at once. This format lends itself to eating as a group, dish by dish.

Have your menu and pencil in hand? Let's order up some delicious treats.

If you leave Everyday Noodles and do not order dumplings, you are doing it wrong. But there are plenty of other good options on the menu.

Appetizers include easy-to-interpret dishes like pickled cucumber and marinated beef tendon to the unfamiliar Jelly Fish Salad and Wood Ears with Tofu Skins. The wood ears, a type of mushroom, and tofu skin are presented as a cold salad, a chewy and mild start to the meal.

As the restaurant name suggests, noodles play an important role. The handmade noodles show up in noodle soup, with selections such as oxtail and pickled mustard greens, and dry noodles, such as the super-spicy Dan Dan Noodles Szechuan Style.

The noodle soups, with your choice of flour or rice noodle, are enormous. You will be ladling for days. For dry noodles, try the Taiwanese Style Sesame Cold Noodles. Peanut flavor here is powerful and dream-worthy.

Dim sum standouts include the pork and vegetable potstickers and the pan-fried green onion pancake. The potstickers arrive as one unit, and you are forced to peel apart each potsticker with your chopsticks. Perfectly fried, the green onion pancake is a super complement to the provided dumpling sauce.

If you have room in your stomach and on your table, order a rice dish. Simply prepared with a meat, like braised pork belly, and a pickled egg.

For a good ending to a shared meal, order one of the desserts like the creamy crispy mini buns, four soft and sweet buns, or the sweet egg yolk steamed bun, which look like snowballs, and are filled with a sweet custard.

As we exit, the noodle wizard lifts his arms in the air, dough soars and — thwomp!

The sweet song of fresh food accompanies us out the door.

Laura Zorch is one of the food savvy ladies of eatPGH.com who contribute a weekly dining column to Trib Total Media.