Imperial Palace

Located on a block adjacent to acres of municipal parking lots, Imperial Palace sports the hallmarks of quintessential Chinese restaurants: fish tank, crystal chandeliers, ceiling tiles, and salmon-colored banquet chairs. The Joe’s Shanghai–grade mob scene at the hostess stand is one tip that exceptional food flows from the kitchen. By dinner rush, the dining room is packed with families of six and eight swiveling their lazy Susans to reach for crackly segments of fried chicken or fleshy sable served sizzling on a cast-iron pan. The seafood-heavy menu is overwhelming; particularly since there’s hardly a dud among the scores of choices. Elephantine pacific oysters steamed with a bright splash of black-bean sauce are just smaller than a dinner plate. The main event is a Dungeness crab in a bamboo steamer filled with sticky rice and chopped scallion. One bite of the dreamy, succulent meat makes the trip out on the 7 train worth it.