Chinese Gourmet Ghetto.

[PeterL]

The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

BTW, anyone been to Joy Luck since they were sold?

[Peter Lawrence]

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Probably because the rent is less in Millbrae than Burlingame. All
those high-end Chinese restaurants probably have set up shop in Millbrae
to cater to the affluent Chinese community that has settled in
Hillsborough the past ten years.

But if you want to know the exact reasons (and not idle speculation on
my or others part), just ask the owners or managers of the
establishments. They could probably give you a more accurate answer to
your question.

- Peter

[PeterL]

Post by Peter Lawrence

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Probably because the rent is less in Millbrae than Burlingame. All
those high-end Chinese restaurants probably have set up shop in Millbrae
to cater to the affluent Chinese community that has settled in
Hillsborough the past ten years.
But if you want to know the exact reasons (and not idle speculation on
my or others part), just ask the owners or managers of the
establishments. They could probably give you a more accurate answer to
your question.

But that would defeat the purpose of a discussion group, wouldn't it?
Besides, I highly doubt that the owners or managers would give me an
accurate answer. The new ones along El Camino are owned by investment
groups. The Kitchen and Asian Pearl are owned by a group that owns
several other Chinese places. Zen is owned by a HK group that owns
other Zen restos.

Post by Peter Lawrence
- Peter

[sally]

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Are these places all Cantonese-style? Any recommendations for an upscale
Chinese lunch in the San Mateo area that is not mainly dim sum or
Americanized lunch specials? Thanks.

[PeterL]

Post by sally

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Are these places all Cantonese-style? Any recommendations for an upscale
Chinese lunch in the San Mateo area that is not mainly dim sum or
Americanized lunch specials? Thanks.

Yes all of those are Cantonese style. There are a couple of
Shanghainese restos in San Mateo, but they are not upscale. There are
not many upscale Chinese places other than Cantonese.

[Joseph Littleshoes]

Post by PeterL

Post by sally

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Are these places all Cantonese-style? Any recommendations for an upscale
Chinese lunch in the San Mateo area that is not mainly dim sum or
Americanized lunch specials? Thanks.

Yes all of those are Cantonese style. There are a couple of
Shanghainese restos in San Mateo, but they are not upscale. There are
not many upscale Chinese places other than Cantonese.

There used to be a very impressive place in Oakland's "Chinatown", an
very traditional folk artsy Korean restaurant called the "Dol House"
not only was it really well and interestingly decorated but the food was
superb. Staffed by women in traditional costume.

Unfortunately it was a casualty of the 89 loma piereta earth quake, and
i don't know if they ever reopened anywhere else.

Had my first exposure to a fruit vinegar there, raspberry iirc.

As soon as you walked in and were seated you were presented with a
complementary dish of the house made "kim chee" (iirc).

There's a couple of places in Oakland China Town that have pretensions
to upscale, but it is only pretension, the "Golden Peacock" for example,
must have been a beautiful place back around 1975, good food and
friendly staff though don't look at the carpet too closely or use the
bathroom.

However there are several very good places, a superb noodle house and a
few others, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese that are all very
good but definitely more working/middle class establishments, even the
fanciest among them (including the Golden Peacock) are patronized by
the working/middle class rather than the "upscale" crowd.

Course there are some real dives there also with food i have found to be
inedible.

One vietnamese place that gets a lot of hype "La Cheval" is IMO merely
ordinary, the only thing that makes it in any way different is that they
have a full bar and you can get a Scotch while waiting for your Imperial
egg rolls.

However there is a good Chinese registrant a few blocks away with a full
bar and none of the tedious waiting in line for a table routine so
common at La Cheval.
--
JL

[Geoff Miller]

Post by Joseph Littleshoes
One vietnamese place that gets a lot of hype "La Cheval" is
IMO merely ordinary, the only thing that makes it in any way
different is that they have a full bar and you can get a Scotch
while waiting for your Imperial egg rolls.

I don't think I've ever seen a Vietnamese restaurant with a bar.
The few bars I've seen at Japanese restaurants were just token
efforts, mainly serving bars with a handful of stools for show.

Among Oriental restaurants, they seem to be most common at Chinese
places, with the one at the Tao Tao in Sunnyvale being among the
nicest I've seen.



Geoff

--
"My advice to her [Britney Spears] would be to start shooting
the dog porn videos now, and thus set aside a little cash for
her retirement." -- Speedbump

[Al Eisner]

Post by PeterL

Post by sally

Post by PeterL
The stretch of El Camino Real in Millbrae has turned into quite the
concentrated Chinese restaurants row. A line up of HKFL, Fook Yuen,
Kitchen, Asian Pearl, Zen gives you lots of choices for dim sum and
higher end evening dining. Not to mention a couple of lower end
places in the vicinity. Plus, if you want to go further south to
Foster City and San Mateo, you got several more options (Joy Luck,
ABC, Chef Wei). Why are all these Chinese places moving to this area?

Are these places all Cantonese-style? Any recommendations for an upscale
Chinese lunch in the San Mateo area that is not mainly dim sum or
Americanized lunch specials? Thanks.

Yes all of those are Cantonese style. There are a couple of
Shanghainese restos in San Mateo, but they are not upscale. There are
not many upscale Chinese places other than Cantonese.

Grandview in Burlingame was a quite good Shanghainese place, although
it has looked closed the last few times I passed by in daytime (even
the signs seemed to be gone). In San Mateo, Little Sichuan is pretty
good, but not upscale -- generaous portions, nicely spicy, but some
of the food can be greasy. Oh, and not much Americanized.