We are officially back from California (booo!). Friends and family were seen, copious and amazing wines were drunk and food, eye-searing, nostril-flaring, don’t-know-whether-you-should-eat-it-or-hang-out-with-it-because-it’s-that-awesome food, was eaten.
You’ll be hearing about it.
But like many great stories, this one starts in Chinatown.
Having very little time in the Bay area requires one to make some serious dining choices. The array of options and quality is substantial to say the least. We looked for deciding factors. One thing that San Francisco excels at though is Asians. And damn they can cook.
With that as our starting thesis we decided to meet our friend Paolaccio at the epic Empress of China restaurant. The place has been around for decades and their self-description as reflecting the beauty, color, and architectural form of the Han Dynasty (206 BC) won me over. 206 was such a great year.
The place is located on the sixth floor of a non-descript mid-rise building. The only entrance we could find required us to weave our way through an odd oriental chotzky/herb shop and then take an elevator up to the roof. It made me seriously miss Hong Kong.
Empress of China is definitely from the old school. The dark wood, white table cloths, gold ornamental lattice work, green suited waiters and silver tray service all lingered from a different time. A totally awesome time.
We were early and the place was sparsely populated, so when we ordered we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We started with a chicken salad or as they called it, our famed Sai Sea Gai. Normally I’m not one for chicken salads, but hey, this one is famed.
A few minutes later the waiter wheeled out a decorative cart bearing three plates and an elevated silver platter, complete with adorable silver dome. He unveiled the appetizer and quickly portioned out shares. Who does tableside service like that? I loved it.
The salad was nice- light and citrusy with good crunch, moist chicken bits and a hint of sesame and cilantro. I doubt you’d ever find it in China but you could certainly find it in the 1950’s.
Next came the Oyster Sauce Beef and the Ma Po Tofu. I really enjoyed both of these.
The beef was incredibly tender, coated with that deep-caramely, oyster sauce umami goodness. The broad segments of just-soft scallion added an earthy onion layer.
The large hunks of tofu were sweet and spicy with just a hint of savory pork background. The fragrant basil added an unusual but bright note to the rich dish.
Our dumplings were the last thing to arrive. Rachel is on an international quest to eat as many soup dumplings as possible but they’re surprisingly difficult to find. We were both really excited to see Hsiao Lung Pao (or Xiao Lung Bao if you’re using the Hanyu Pinyin system, of course) on the menu. Nothing like a plump, juicy, explode all over you face and run down your chin, soup dumpling.
Something must have been lost in the translation. While they looked all handmade and delicious, the Empress versions were disappointing. First, they weren’t soup dumplings. That’s ok. Second, the skins weren’t cooked all the way through. The bottom parts were nice, but where they gathered them at the top stayed on the wrong side of al dente. That’s not so ok.
The filling was good, but on the bland side. It had a full pork flavor but not a lot of depth or other interest. I did like the dipping sauce packed with perfumy strands of fresh ginger.
Our meal ended with the mandatory Fortune Cookies. These weren’t the typical tasteless cardboard confections but rather a real baked good with snap and a light almond sweetness.
Paul finds out about his impending annihilation.
The food was great but my favorite part of the whole restaurant was definitely the ambiance. The over the top gilding and peacock feathers, the Bat Cave secret entrance, and not to mention the spectacular city view, more than made up for any small short comings with the dumplings.
We left for a happy stroll through the streets but I didn’t make it far before the siren call of Chinese charcuiterie lured me into a nearby storefront. The sign announced that Guang Zhou King and King Sausage was the only place left in San Francisco making their own lap cheung, the slightly sweet dried pork sausages. Sold.
I also bought some amazing cured duck and a few thick chunks of Chinese bacon just to be safe.
We polished off the afternoon over in Little Italy poking around shops and listening to snippets of Italian. To recharge, we stopped at a little trattoria for a drink. There’s just something about a nice bottle of wine with some friends at an outside café.
I know- it doesn’t sound like any fun at all.
Thanks again for showing us a good time Paul!
-L. Pants
Empress of China
838 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 434-1345
San Francisco, CA 94108
