R & G Executive Lounge Inc   

Those who lunch at R&G Lounge (half the Financial District and much of Chinatown, apparently) think of it as a loud and bustling basement where you can grab supercheap rice plates like salt-and-pepper crab (the house special) and clay pot seafood. Those who've had the full dinner remember a quiet feast in a pleasant, airy upstairs dining room. R&G is best for banquets, so go with a group. Not everything on the menu is done well -- some dishes seem muddled, some flabby -- but this is one Chinatown banquet house where you don't need to speak Cantonese to understand the menu, and the polite staff is happy to steer you toward the good stuff. Best Bets: Any of the fresh fish from the tank (cod and striped bass especially), anything in XO sauce (either beef or shrimp and scallops), stuffed chicken (which requires a call a day ahead) and that lovely crab, especially during Dungeness season (December through June).