One stunning detail is the textured walls. Cocktail utensils atop rabbit fur at the mobile bar. We had decided to do the wine pairings instead, designed by sommelier Kim to highlight the range of possibilities for pairing wine with classic Chinese flavors, a practice that isn’t terribly common. The luxurious Eight Tables space, on the second floor of China Live, all cream and golden in hue, was designed by AvroKO, which won a 2017 James Beard Award for Single Thread in Healdsburg.Īs we were escorted to our seats, we paused at the bar to ooh and aah at the mobile cart where Keels stands at the ready to dispense a cocktail. Luis Villavelazquez, formerly of Absinthe, is the mastermind of the elaborate dessert creations to come. Tony Kim, most recently of the Redwood Room at The Clift Hotel, leads the wine program. Other players on this star-studded team include two Saison alums, Andrew Fuentes at the front of the house and mixologist Andrew Keels behind the bar. China Live is Chen’s 20,000-square-foot Chinese food emporium, along the lines of Eataly in New York (and now Chicago and Boston). An elevator takes you upstairs to the dining area (Wendy Goodfriend)Įxecutive Chef George Chen is well known for his legendary Betelnut restaurant in the Marina District, which closed in 2015 after a 20-year run, as well as the upscale Shanghai 1930 in the Financial District, which closed in 2010, and several other San Francisco and Shanghai restaurants. Entrance to Eight Tables (Wendy Goodfriend)Īn elevator ride to the second floor delivers us to another world, one of timeless, restrained decadence. I looked to my left, and the woman asked, “May I see your prescription?” I looked to my right, and the other woman said, “Are you here to visit Eight Tables?” Relief. After fighting for parking, we were greeted at the gate by two young women in black dresses. The entrance to Eight Tables is on Kenneth Rexroth Lane in San Francisco’s Chinatown, an alley in back of a wrought-iron gate. Table setting at Eight Tables (Wendy Goodfriend) Shi fan tsai, on the other hand, is what you might be offered at the home of a wealthy family with a private chef: many small courses, plated individually, coursed out over a leisurely evening. Banquets tend to feature an array of different foods, often heavy, concluding with lots of rice, noodles and other starches in case you didn’t get your fill from proteins and other more expensive foods. An elaborate 10-course tasting menu invites diners into the world of shi fan tsai, private chateau-style dining.Ĭhinese cuisine is known for elaborate banquet spreads, and private dining is the elite flipside of the social hierarchy.
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