Not the City - although I'm sure that's equally wonderful - but the restaurant. More specifically, the old Mecca restaurant, re-suited and re-booted, and with the Chef from the now defunct Shanghai 1930.
That's a mixed history to have to contend with.
First, I loved Mecca, when it was arguably the best restaurant in the Castro - a mix of luxe lounge and snazzy food emporium. But I have bad memories of one time when their valet parkers stole a CD case with 10 or 15 CDs from my car. It was something I didn't discover for a week or so, by which time it was too late to do much of anything except not go there again.
Second, I grew to loathe Shanghai 1930, when it squandered its great location near the Embarcadero, its sweeping entry staircase, and its subterranean vibe with tacky presentation and lackluster food.
With that - as I said - mixed history, it was possibly a gamble hitting the new Shanghai place tonight. But gamble we did, and while far from perfect, it was a pleasing dinner.
Parking is a nightmare around the Castro generally, and it's not made any easier by their hollow provision of a shuttle service to and from the nearest parking lot. We screwed around for 40 minutes between the restaurant and the parking lot, so by the time we got our first cocktail, we were gasping.
The food was worth the wait though. Alright, my drunken chicken appetizer looked like a dish of food either of our cats would be delighted to get, but my lovely sidekick enjoyed her Blasting Prawns. Her Chicken Flambe was a bit sweet 'n sour-like - i.e sickly-sweet and not much else, whereas my Dim Sim was terrific. Dumplings, noodles, scallions. Uh-huh.
On balance though, Shanghai lacked the atmosphere that ought to have been there; belonged there, at that spot on Market Street. Maybe it was the haphazard styling - part Castro supper club, part family Chinese. Or the clientele - part Castro types, part families with whining kids.
They need time to polish things up.
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