Chinatown's finest: R&G Lounge

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Chinese restaurant as fancy as R and J Lounge.
When my friend Mary and I – on the prowl for San Fran’s best Chinese (Yelp! handy) – stepped onto the corner of the lounge, I assumed we were going to some home style Chinese hole in the wall.
Welcomed at the front door and taken downstairs, like mob bosses to a gambling hall, I was surprised at how well-kept the restaurant was. The granite countertops, wooden carvings and 80’s style mirrors that stretch around the restaurant gave the place a high-end feel.
Mary and I decided to dive into some local crustacean, bbq pork and one of the “Chef’s Favorites”, a smoked salmon and avocado egg roll.
The bbq pork was a bit tough, but the soft shell crab made up for the hog’s mishap.
The whole soft shell crab, fried with a thin coating of garlic lemon batter demanded a little elbow grease to enjoy, but was worth every shell-spewing bite. The best part of the $38 delight - the butter of the crab, which was fried to perfection. (Note: I’m drooling about it as I’m writing this.)
Though the wait staff was not so engaged in my conversation and a decent meal will cost you more than a typical Chinese restaurant (an arm and a crab leg in my case), the food is well worth the trip.