18.12.07

F I R S TP R E V680NEXTLAST

Empress of China, Six Stories Above Chinatown
There are two San Franciscos, the one that is featured in the guide books and the one that the locals enjoy. A restaurant always featured in the tourists guide books is the high-rise roof garden restaurant, Empress of China. You know the kind of place, always referred to as "one of the world's most beautiful Oriental restaurants" despite being filled with tourist families in matching sweatsuits. The Empress was the city's most famous Chinese restaurant during the 60s and 70s and features an array of celebrity photos in the lobby (my favorite is the one of the first President George Bush bearing the caption "Manager Jimmy Wong served Crispy Chick and Butterfly Prawns for His Pleasure"). While maybe not the finest Chinese restaurant in the San Francisco, the Empress of China is stylish, offers great views and the chance to eat in the same restaurant that once served Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ricardo Montalban.
[ MAP E-14 ]


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