Chinatown Brasserie

[guttergourmet]

For safe way overpriced dim sum (good place for kids) it's not bad. Had soup dumplings (not as good as Joe's), egg roll-very good, duck spring roll-also good, pork-n-chive dumplings fried-not bad, har gow steamed shrimp dumplings-fine, bbq pork tenderloin-actually very good. A bellini martini and Japanese ale deadened the decor (carp fish pond downstairs and fake bamboo garden upstairs with Chinese lanterns). But $85 with tax and tip is a little ridiculous.

[Spark151]

i'll admit i live in the area (and a regular) but all of this whining about the price is silly. there is no comparison between CB and dingy dirty $1 per dumpling spots located in "chinatown." the same can be said for paying $16 for pasta marinara at bar pitti when you can go to little italy and get it for $6.99 or you can get a sirloin at Tad's Steakhouse for $9.99 versus $30+ anywhere else reputable. why is it with Chinese food everyone just immediately defaults to the "oh, its pricey" line of fire. btw, their bbq chef was at Shun Lee for nearly 20 years and the dim sum guy is really talented. do you also think Shun Lee and the other uptown spots are expensive because they are much more than CB. see you guys at Tad's.

[bread for breakfast]

I don't mind paying for quality food, but in my opinion CB's is mediocre at best.

[Simon]

Ditto...while a few people here have praised the CB dimsum, many chowhounds (myself included) found it mediocre-to-awful...the dimsum i had at the grungy Triple Eight Palace was superior to the dimsum i had at CB, which was gluey and almost inedible...i may have been there on a bad night, but at that price, who cares

[wleatherette]

people are complaining about the mediocore to poor quality of the food. the fact that the dim sum is 2-3x what you would pay in chinatown just seems to be adding insult to injury.

[Pan]

I had a great meal at CB the one time I was there, but I'm not so sure previous work at Shun Lee (either Palace or West) is a great recommendation.

[bigjeff]

actually, Spark151, the best dumplings in chinatown are FIVE for $1; Prosperity Dumpling, homie.

[1uc7]

Like I said in an earlier recent post on this place, I agree it is very expensive for dim sum that happens to be decent -- not out of this world but it's not bad either (I haven't tried any other menu items). You're paying for atmosphere and presentation and it's a good upscale option to take people who are new to dim sum or who are food-timid and like to order off a menu. I prefer dim sum I've had at other places in chinatown as well (esp considering the price), but I wouldn't completely write-off this place -- I enjoyed the presentation and the atmosphere a lot! I think it's just a matter of whether you have an occasion where you think it's worth spending the extra money.

[Mickey Blue]

I agree, your paying for the atmosphere rather then the food. It feels like your having Dim Sum in Dracula's Castle.

[Pan]

Which dim sum places in Chinatown do you find make better food than CB, irrespective of price?

[columbuscircle]

They have selected dim sum for ~$5 in the bar for happy hour (5-7). Much more reasonable and cheap cocktails and wine while you are there

[kobetobiko]

I agreed completely. You pay double or triple mainly for the presentation (better plated dim sum), clean and upscale decor, plus service. In term of flavor it is not really better than dim sum in Chinatown. I will only go if I have guests (and want to impress them) and if I really want wine or liquor to go with my dim sum.

[whit565]

You have read the hype but I wish I had read Chow first...BE WARNED. This place is okay for dim sum but steeply overpriced and you should not, under any circumstances, order off the other menu. We had Peking Duck, a fried rice, 2 filet mignon dishes and this disgusting thing called crispy chicken. AWFUL!

[bread for breakfast]

I had a similar bad experience. Everything was just OK -- definitely not worth the steep prices. The best part of my entire meal at CB recently was my cocktail. Dinner was a complete bust.