"Chinese Tuxedo has good food and a cool ambiance that references Chinatown 's past. But there are layers to this. When we went to Tuxedo, there was hardly any Asian clientele, which is strange given that we 're in Chinatown and there were loads of Asians among the many people hanging out in the neighborhood. There are a few reasons, partly about the food, but also about that cool ambiance. The prices at Tuxedo, while a bit high, would not scare away Asians, as there are increasingly wealthy Asians in the city. And restaurants like Blue Willow or Cafe China are pretty similarly priced, have a very cool retro vibe, and are popular with Asians. The difference is that if you 're going to charge $32 for steamed fish with ginger and scallion, an incredibly simple standard Chinese dish on Tuxedo 's menu, you have to do something special if you want to also appeal to an audience that 's very familiar with Chinese food. This of course isn 't the only kind of thing on Tuxedo 's menu. We had duck and radish fried dumplings $16), which were yummy, and lobster noodles with black pepper sauce MP $88), which had a bit of twist on the traditional presentation. But then there 's that hip vibe that I found off putting. The restaurant is located in an old theatre that was the site for a legendary fight between Chinese gangs. This happened during a time of Chinese exclusion, when Asians could not become citizens, had almost no rights, and families could not be together...there 's a lot to unpack. In an irreverent wink to that past, the restaurant has drinks called Bloody Angle and Five Points Pegasus and tries to evoke some of that illicit history. Despite the fact that the owners must know that their clientele is not Chinese, the restaurant entrance is only in Chinese so you might not be sure if you 're in the right place, and they give you a menu with one side entirely in Chinese. They clearly don 't expect most people to rely on the Chinese it 's more part of the ambiance. It seemed fitting then that when you get the bill, the restaurant gives you a postcard with an old photo of the original Chinese Tuxedo featuring a table of customers. None of them are Asian. Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Price per person: $50–100"
