Absurdly over-rated & past its prime
Written: May 31 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Goes well with an afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf and a 1 hour wait to ride a cable car (i.e., a tourist experience)
Cons: The food, the decor, the 'service,' the line, etc.
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| pinverarity's Full Review: House of Nanking |
The House of Nanking lives on as a sort of gustatory phenomenon; if enough people *believe* that what they're about to eat is great, they'll think it is in fact great, no matter the actual taste or quality of the food. At this point, about 10 years past the first flowering of its fame, the House of Nanking isn't just resting on its laurels, it's reclined back on them for a lengthy snooze. In fact, the laurels may have made their way into what was supposed to have been eggplant or spicy greenbeans when you ordered it.
Simply put, this place is now occasionally good. That's all. Just good, and only occasionally. Now there was a time (1989-93 or thereabouts) when everything people said about the place was true. The flavors _were_ extraordinary; the ingredients _were_ impeccably fresh and tasty. The service, well, it has always been brusque at best, unabashedly rude at worst. But at this point, there is absolutely no food-related reason to put up with the lines and the rude treatment; the food is absolutely no better than Brandy Ho's (located up the street).
I've been 3 times since 1996; each time I had made the now-rote speech about how great it was, how it resurrected Chinese food, etc. And each time, my companion(s) would look at me at the end of the meal and say something like, "well, it was pretty good, I guess." Except for the time the pools of oil from the soggy and tasteless (formerly crispy and delicious) green onion pancakes had thoroughly ruined a silk blouse. The food has been at best pretty good (spicy green beans) and at worst almost inedible and unrecognizable (spicy eggplant; some shrimp dishes). And that includes the 2 times that the surly owner decided to serve us something other than that which we'd ordered; you'd think he'd play to a strength.
Basically, they've stopped caring. They don't need to, and it shows. Wave to the folks in line and keep walking.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
pinverarity
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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