Even food critics Craig Claiborne and James Beard are beaming. Maybe they're smiling about the impressive decor. As you get off the elevator, you walk into a pavilion at the center of which is a pine tree bathed in light filtering in from a skylight. Tapestries and other artwork, carved panels, an intricately tiled floor and little signs explaining what you're looking at make for a palatial entrance area. Chandeliers, soft lighting, thick rugs and sconces with peacock feathers decorate the main dining area.
Elegance extends to the service, too.
The food, in silver dishes on pedestals, is wheeled to you table on carts, and the servers prepare each plate. The dinner menu, too, has its pretensions, boasting that it offers dishes from all regions of China. It flags dishes from Beijing, Shanghai, Canton, Szechuan and Mongolia. But whatever their provenance, the dishes we tried were unmemorable. Old Chinese American standbys, including chow mein, wontons and fried rice, take the stage.