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Visiting honeymooning hounds seek excellent Chinatown chinese dinner and chinese bakery for red bean buns and bbq bao

  • d

Help us out. We want to swing through chinatown and get a fabulous chinese dinner (NUT ALLERGY!) and a nice bakery for yummy red bean buns, cakes, or any red bean or lotus decadance, as well as some fabulous bao.

Please, we're heading into town on Friday..I hear Jackson street is a good starting place!


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  1. I would recommend R&G Lounge for their famous salt and pepper crab. The Chinese food there is somewhat authentic and the flavors are pleasant to all crowds. Make sure to make reservations or else there are long lines. Try to sit upstairs because the ambiance is better.

    1. You're just in time for Mid-autumn festival (a.k.a. Mooon Festival) and freshly made mooncakes are as decadent as you could want with those fillings. Try AA bakery on Stockton near Jackson, Garden Bakery (a hole-in-the wall place on Jackson between Stockton and Grant) or, for a pricier version, Golden Gate Bakery on Grant between Pacific and Jackson.

      For a sit-down Chinese dinner I recommend Great Eastern on (yes) Jackson between Grant and Kearny. I don't recommend R&G Lounge because of its notorious inconsistency. Not to mention the fact that it's nowhere near Jackson St. ;-0)

      1 Reply
      1. re: Gary Soup

        How funny I completely disagree because my last two meals at Great Eastern has been less then interesting while most of my meals at R&G Lounge have been great.

      2. Oh, dear. Nut allergy. You'll have to be careful, or at least bring your antihistamines. Chinese food uses a lot of peanut oil. Better call the restaurants you are interested in to find out what they use.

        1. Good point. I was thinking about how they seldom use nuts in cooking (except for gongbao dishes) but I think peanut oil is often used for deep frying.

          6 Replies
          1. re: Gary Soup

            and also maybe for wok frying b/c it stands up to high heat!

            1. re: estnet

              So do a lot of oils, and I think for most uses a more neutral flavored (and less expensive) oil is preferred. If you peer into kitchens, you'll see a lot of those huge lined-carboard containers of vegetable oil you can buy at Costco (forgot the brand name).

            2. re: Gary Soup

              just an aside to this conversation:

              My brother has a seriously deathly nut allergy and for what it is worth,

              Peanuts aren't nuts.

              If it is a real nut allergy they won't need to worry about the peanut oil. since peanuts are legumes. my brother can eat his body weight in chinese food. and he has never had a problem...

              1. re: jupiter

                Another good point. All this stuff is confusing to me, as all these allergies didn't appear to exist when I was growing up. It certainly gives one pause.

                I assume your brother needs to be wary of places that make cashew or walnut dishes, though.

                1. re: Gary Soup

                  oh yes, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pistachio's,
                  He sounds like Harlan Pepper from Best in show when he lists off what he CAN'T eat, (which for my brother is almost minimal)
                  we went to fifth floor many moons ago when laurent gras was still there and he walked in and told the server "just start this night off right, i feel i should tell you that i will go to in anaphylactic shock if there are any nuts in my food, so could you just keep that in mind when i am ordering?" she was very obliging and steered him clear of one item and then suggested like three others and then went and talked to the chef. my brother will not let anything as small as a nut deter him from consuming vast quantities of food....

                  He has used that line in restaurants from fifth floor to fatt dogg and back again...

                  People like to make sure that they can save your life and have you not die enjoying their food. :)

                  1. re: jupiter

                    Harlan Pepper liked to drive his mom by _naming_ nuts. He didn't say anything about not being able to eat nuts.

            3. i know, my brother sounds like Harlan Pepper when Harlan Pepper is drivin' his mama nuts....