HONG KONG LOUNGE 2
Annie Ho owned the popular Hong Kong Lounge but stepped aside five years ago so she could open a smaller place that allows her to keep closer tabs on the food and service. In so doing, she’s created one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area for either dim sum or the nighttime menu of Hong Kong specialties. On many days and nights, you can find her surveying the dining room from a podium centered in the rear. While dim sum is generally a daytime delicacy, Ho also offers many of the most popular items at night, listed as “Asian tapas,” including crispy salt and pepper soft-shell crabs, steamed shrimp dumplings, crispy spiced quail with lily buds, and braised pork belly with steamed buns. The kitchen also shines with its dinner items, including free-range roasted chicken; wok-fired sliced lamb with yellow chives; and pan-fried sea bass in ginger soy. There are some unexpected offerings, such as snow peas and mushrooms with macadamia nuts; clam meat ramen noodle with crab; and coffee-glazed pork ribs.
Cuisine Chinese | Specialties Shanghai dumplings; glazed coffee pork rib; sauteed Chinese lettuce; steamed surf clams with seasonal greens; salt-and-pepper rex sole; whole abalone with pea shoots; Imperial Peking duck | Seats 68; private room for 30 | Prices $14-$42 | Noise rating | Parking Street, difficult Vitals 3300 Geary Blvd., San Francisco. (415) 668-8802. www.hongkonglounge2.com Dim sum and dinner Wednesday-Monday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.