3.5 STARS
COVID-19 OUTDOOR DINING
Empress M is the type of place I would bring my Tiger mom....hope she forgets her reading glasses and snatch the bill when it comes out because she would flip the eff out if she saw the prices.
$9 for 3 pieces of har gow.
$20 chow fun.
You get my drift...
For the next, 7839348 hours, she would give me the death stare and lecture me on why I'm broque.
Truth but when you're on staycation and the liquor starts flowing, budgets go out the door. Plus, I was hella craving dim sum and Empress M is the only dim sum restaurant in Napa.
Empress M is open for takeout, indoor dining, and outdoor dining (dog-friendly). Reservations are highly recommended on the weekends.
M E N U
Dim sum, Cantonese, and Sichuan fare. They even have Uyghur Big Plate Chicken which is interesting. Lunch combo specials (M-F): $16-$22. No tea fee for dim sum.
Limited dim sum menu with only 14 items and 30% of the items were not available on Saturday (11:15 am reservations). Big bummer.
Happy Hour: 3 pm - 5 pm
**$1 pot stickers and egg rolls, $2 pork buns, har gow, and siu mai. $6 beer, $8 wells, and $9 wine.
FULL BAR. Yelp check-in: Free well drink (I was driving so I skipped it).
I like their branding on the plates and takeout boxes (w/ specially made vents).
C O V I D - 1 9 S A F E T Y P R E C A U T I O N S
* Staff wore masks.
* Food runner wore gloves.
* Laminated menus were sanitized between guests.
* Outdoor tables were spaced out ~8 feet apart. Open-air, no tent. Umbrellas for shade and heat lamps available.
* Wrapped utensils.
* Hand sanitizer available in multiple areas.
F O O D
Note: We ordered several items that were noted as having "spicy" ingredients and they weren't spicy at all.
**Dipping sauces: sweet & sour, soy-vinegar, hot mustard, and chili sauce.
* Har Gow: Shrimp Dumplings (3 pc - $9)
Disappointing; after following up multiple times, this arrived after an hour of waiting. When lifted, the har gow had a huge air pocket with thick, gloppy skin. The shrimp was fresh and crunchy though.
* Steamed Pork Spare Ribs w/ taro root ($9)
Nice meaty and tender chunks of pork spare ribs but could use more black bean sauce.
* Hong Kong Chicken Feet w/ peanuts ($9)
Soft, gelatinous, and collagen-rich goodness. Mild flavor with a touch of sweetness. I rarely see this served with peanuts but I liked it for texture.
* Wu Gok: Taro Puffs (3 pc - $8)
Whoa, I was shocked at how bomb these were. They rival the ones in SF and Sunnyvale/Cupertino area. The taro puffs had a delicately crunchy, lacey honeycomb exterior with an airy smooth mashed taro and savory kurobuta pork filling. GET THESE!
* Spicy Chicken Wings w/ garlic, hot chili peppers, jalapeño (6 pc - $15)
Seems like a hybrid of salt & pepper wings and sandstorm wings.
The chicken wings were deliciously crunchy, meaty, and juicy; not greasy. They were tossed with green onions, jalapeño, and fried garlic bits. Very flavorful with a mild heat (just don't eat the chilies). GET THESE TOO!
* Beef Chow Fun w/ ribeye, stir-fried with bean sprouts, onion, scallion, and rice noodle ($20)
Since they didn't have several of the dim sum items I wanted to order, I decided to order this to test the "wok hei" of the kitchen.
Decent "wok hei" (smoky flavor) on the tender slices of the ribeye, crisp red onions, and green onions. The chow fun noodles were nicely separated but the rib eye were in long 4-5 inch strips. Not complaining because there was a generous portion of ribeye but they should be cut smaller.
S E R V I C E
Staff is very friendly and well-intentioned but needs refinement for an upscale restaurant.
Being the only dim sum restaurant in the area, not everyone may be familiar with the food. One of the tables next to us looked confused at the items being dropped off. Food runners should be introducing items when delivering them.
As another Yelper stated, the staff was overwhelmed so service really suffered. Remember the hour wait for the har gow? Plus, having to raise your hand and flag people staff for things is not what one expects from an upscale restaurant. Just to close the bill, it took over 20 minutes and that's after asking several different staff.
Until they work out their kinks, go early and expect a leisurely meal.
A M B I A N C E
Huge, spacious restaurant with a courtyard patio, gazebo for tea ceremonies, and a swanky bar area with a massive tv. Décor is inspired after the Tang Dynasty - lots of beautiful murals, paintings, and bold red furnishings.
TBH, I came in with low expectations but I thought the food was pretty good for the area (sans the har gow). Most of the items may be on the bland side but I appreciate them not dumping msg and drowning the food in sauces like American Chinese Restaurants. 3.5 stars rounded up. read more