Post #576967 by TorchGuy on Sun, Feb 20, 2011 12:51 PM

S'cuse me resurrecting an older thread, but thanks Woofmutt for pointing me here! This and Louie's Cuisine of China in Ballard are now my favorite Chinese restaurants! Both have good food (think 1970s Americanized Chinese) and the Red Lotus makes some potent drinks! I think they have a cocktail list with some semi-tiki drinks, I ordered something like a Mai Tai or Fogcutter and (I forget which, because) it was POTENT. Tasty but strong. In both places, poke around the back rooms a bit - Red Lotus has some beautiful over-the-top decor especially in the back rooms, and Louie's has funktastic modern 70s lounge decor with awesome light fixtures and an amazing ceiling fan in the skylight of the far back rental dining room.

If you want to see the polar opposite, check out the Dragon Pearl in Burien. The restaurant often closes early and the little Chinese owner sleeps in one of the booths; she scared the daylights out of me when I walked back to look around and she just popped up! The place's get-up-and-go got up and went, about twenty years ago. Some neat decor, and teacups and placemats with packaged chopsticks sitting on the tables (well, those that aren't covered in papers or junk) like they're waiting for the lunch rush. Light fixtures are sad and broken - I touched one and it literally fell apart, the plastic rotted and crumbly from years of fossil nicotine build-up. I'm told they do still serve food, but...would you really want to try it? The bar area has a cool wooden bar (think "13 Coins) but some unfriendly patrons - call 'em "interesting characters", maybe - the night I walked in, one of the guys drinking said loudly, "Who the fk are these aholes!?" and the tender told him to calm down. I went back another night and found a friendly female bartender, nicer patrons and strong, basic drinks. Oh, and do NOT go near the mens' room unless you hold your nose. A must-see if you, like me, love looking at old almost-abandoned places; it's difficult to explore the dining room in this place and know it's still (sometimes) open for business!