PekoePeony

Marie-Louise -- Ton Kiang has GREAT steamed dim sum, their leek dumplings and that green sauce (never see it anywhere else) are sooo good! And it's amazing how it tastes so fresh. That said, their menu is really limited to only a few items. While there's something to be said about going someplace that doesn't do many things but does most of them well, don't you want to have it all? At Koi Palace you can! I just went to Koi Palace again this past weekend. During our 45-minute wait (with reservations!) my boyfriend and I were starting to wonder if it was really worth it, since none of the other dim sum restaurants make you wait as long or are such a hassle. But once we sat down and the food started coming out, we were in heaven! The pan-fried shrimp and scallop dumpling was absolutely sinful, and their Shanghai dumplings are also stellar. They have hundreds of dim sum floating around, all of them good and some of them really great. I have a huge grin on my face now even thinking about it! Some people I know like Harbor Village, but I don't know why? The service is slow, there isn't much dim sum, and what you get isn't special? But then again, I haven't been in three years, so maybe things have changed (I did use to visit occasionally since it was close to Embarcadero). Jade Villa and Peony in Oakland are both decent, but they're no Koi Palace or HKFL. It's hard to describe why, since they're all large, bustling dim sum palaces, but Koi Palace has that extra depth of flavor. Give it a try, though maybe you should go early and avoid some of the wait -- it really is a pain.

Aighhh! As a Chinese-American it's painful to read that people consider Yank Sing or Ton Kiang as the best dim sum in the Bay Area. More on that later. 2) a fantastic and interesting dinner place (nothing stuffy or traditional French please) in the $100/per person range, Okay, Masa's is kinda stuffy and over $100/person, but if you go and don't order wine, it's absolutely worth the money. Best restaurant in the Bay Area. SF is known for its seafood, and the seafood here is better than at Aqua or Farallon or even Oceana (in NYC), the supposed seafood pinnacles. Meat is a bit weak at Masa's, though. Slanted Door gets more raves, but I think the food at Thang Long (also higher-end pseudo-Vietnamese, though it's in nowhere land) is slightly better, though it's a bit much how people go on and on about their garlic noodles and roasted crab. Their dishes are a kind of like Nobu's -- really simple to make but pack a lot of flavor. The food at Chez Panisse can either be so-so or really wonderful, depending on what's being served that day, but you should go anyways and pay homage to the temple of California cuisine. After all, if you're visiting SF you want something that's uniquely Bay Area, not something where you can get just as good food in LA (any Asian, Mexican) or NYC (Italian, French, etc.). $50/person for food (plus tax tip & drinks) if you go early in the week. 4) the best place for Dim Sum. If you've never had dim sum before or only like the standard American dim sum, either Yank Sing or Ton Kiang is fine. All my non-Asian friends love Yank Sing. All my Chinese friends, and myself, don't find it that interesting. Go the Peninsula instead -- Koi Palace in Daly City is the best. If you're near the airport around dim sum or dinner time, go to Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae, just five minutes from the airport. Have a great trip!

Since you're staying by the airport, I recommend Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae or, even better, Koi Palace in Daly City if you want an authentic dim sum experience. Yank Sing is good if you haven't had dim sum before or want a fancy setting. Their dishes are certainly of high quality and beautifully presented, but they just aren't anything special. On their good days, Ton Kiang has wonderfully fresh-tasting dim sum, but their menu is very limited. With Koi Palace, there's the hustle and bustle, long waits, and vast array of delicious dishes that give it a true dim sum feel. I've eaten at most of the dim sum places in the Bay Area (I'm Chinese-American, after all), and Koi Palace is tops, followed by HKFL in Millbrae (skip the other locations). You can also think of dinner at HKFL -- it's VERY close (2 miles?) to SFO. Chez Panisse is good if you like the type of food that's being served that day. Meals at Masa's are much better -- in my opinion, it's the best in San Francisco -- but for California culinary history you gotta eat at Chez Panisse. CIA Greystone is decent, but the food at Auberge du Soleil is better. Have a great trip!