Eats - Chinese - Beijing

Our Family Style Chinese Restaurant - CLOSED :(
Drove by last night with a hankering for xiaolongbao, but it's been replaced by a fastfood Chinese joint. I didn't stop to see if it was run/owned by the same people.

Little Sichuan Restaurant
168 E. 4th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94402
650-345-9168
M: closed, Tu-Th: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., F-Sa: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Su: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Overall: ****
[NOTE: Despite the name, my boss tells me that the owners are from Beijing.] Good for a quick lunch for twelve. The food is good, although not fancy. Hunan lamb is nicely done, and is pretty much all I ever order here. Very inexpensive and hugely popular at lunch.

Update 05/02: Huge improvements have been made to the food (new chef?). This is now one of my favorite places to come, and prices have remained insanely reasonable—$40 for a huge lunch for three. Check it out if you haven't been there for a few months. Be warned that they don't spare the chilies in spicy dishes. Bon Bon Chicken, which isn't made with peanut butter in their version, is vindaloo-level fiery if you order it "spicy."

Update 06/03: Same menu appears, although I would order from the regular menu, not the lunch menu. Their lamb is still good, but the General Tso's Chicken was mostly batter and the sauce was too heavily vinegared.

Peking House Restaurant
45 Post St., San Jose, CA - Website
408/298-7768
Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Overall: **
We stopped here after the wake for George Gonzalez at Splash. It was raining and this place is in between the two downtown gay bars. We ordered hot & sour soup, XO sauce with scallops, and chicken with green onion & ginger. All of the dishes were standard fare, nothing special. We'll undoubtedly be back given its location, perhaps to try the Beijing-style dishes exclusively. 11/04