Sam Woo Restaurant   

Blue Plate Special: The octopus fried in oil (no batter added), fresh shrimp you can pick out from the tanks and award-winning dim sum. The Dish: During the weekday lunch hours, casually-dressed locals from neighboring businesses can be found waiting for lunch specials ranging from the shrimp-loaded dim sum to the bite-sized har gow (succulent shrimp dumplings wrapped in a thin sheet of rice flour). In the early evenings, small families line up for the dinner specials: most notably the shellfish dishes (Woo?s specialty), which are garnished with cucumbers sliced into odd geometrical shapes, and drenched in black bean sauce, served with small chunks of onion. The Atmosphere: Depending on which Sam Woo?s you?re at (either the restaurant or the express version), the ambience can be either brimming with bustling diners or calm with people enjoying lazy outdoor lunches. The dcor is always clean, lively and Americanized, while still keeping a slight hint of the Orient in tact. Smaller families and couples on dates frequent the larger, fancier restaurant, while the smaller spaces are constantly bustling with takeout customers. -- Michael Alarcon