Critics’ choice: A comeback for fine Chinese food
Empress by Boon San Francisco
The Bay Area dining room that everyone is clamoring to get into this fall is located in a former Chinese banquet hall, and “every inch of it is engineered to awe you,” said Soleil Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle. Guests are whisked to the sixth floor by elevator before stepping into an opulent world bedecked with flowers and highlighted by an antique wooden pergola. Empress by Boon takes walk-ins if you request to be seated at the bar, which makes it “a romantic go-to spot to watch the sun set while tucking into baijiu cocktails and some of the best roast duck in the city.” Though chef Ho Chee Boon’s $78 seven-course prix fixe dinner is uneven, it’s also “a worthy deal,” delivering “sophisticated and precise” renditions of traditional Cantonese dishes. If the $48 Pi Pa duck is offered as an add-on, go for it. “Each bite exploded with duck juice and liquefied fat, flooding the mouth as a ripe summer peach does.” If you prefer a lighter meal, focus on à la carte highlights such as the zucchiniprawn dumplings or simply prepared black cod. 838 Grant Ave., (415) 757-0728
Cha Kee New York City
This three-month-old restaurant is “a bright spot in a beleaguered neighborhood,” said Pete Wells in The New York Times. Manhattan’s Chinatown, hit hard by 2020’s Covid restrictions and “a poisonous anti-Asian mood,” is now suffering from an ongoing drop in tourists and growing restaurant competition from neighborhoods such as Flushing, Queens. Enter Tokyo native Akiko Thurnauer, bearing a menu that borrows from Japan and “roams freely around China.” Cha Kee’s flaky pastry triangles stuffed with spicy beef recall Hong Kong’s curry puffs. Ribbons of jellyfish combine with sweet-potato noodles and cucumber in an enticing dish “whose hotand-numbing flavor instantly says Sichuan.” At times, Thurnauer’s style can be “a bit too calm,” at least compared with the bombastic fare at Mission Chinese, where she worked previously. But her cooking is rich in smart ideas. In her tribute to the curry chicken of Macao, a delicious paprika-heavy sauce coats chicken, olives, and potatoes. And fans of okra will welcome its presence in her black-pepper beef, where the soft, gooey vegetable is set against crunchy fried noodles. 43 Mott St., (212) 577-2888
Yue Bai Wei Pittsburgh
When a restaurant’s name translates to “Hundreds of Satisfying Flavors,” it better deliver, said Hal Klein in Pittsburgh magazine. Chef Zhiyuan Tang, who relocated to Pittsburgh after rising to the highest rank in China’s professional cooking hierarchy, lives up to Yue Bai Wei’s name and more. Its presence in Squirrel Hill cements the neighborhood’s status as one of America’s “must-visit” Chinese food destinations. Tang’s strong suit is classic Sichuan dishes. The Chongqing-style dry-fried chicken has a “can’t stop eating” flavor that “builds to a cascade of scalp-tingling heat.” His noodle dishes are enthralling, and the sliced cumin lamb shoulder is exemplary. Even better, though, are the bone-in lamb chops coated in a crispy crust. Tang also excels with pan-Chinese dishes, especially the lion’s head meatballs and the braised beef brisket–and-turnip clay pot, which is “absolute comfort food.” Service and design remain works in progress. If those aspects are mastered, Yue Bai Wei will rank as one of Pittsburgh’s best restaurants. “The food is already there.” 5874 Forbes Ave., (412) 586-4813