Cheap Eats 2005

Is the food at House of Louie great? Nah. Does the kitsch setting make it worth the trip? Oh, yeah. Steeped in imperial red and gold, with flying dragons and a big bowl of fortune cookies by the register, it is a fever dream of a Chinese-American restaurant circa 1950. Skip the hot-and-sour soup and go for what the dim sum pushers are pushing: fat shrimp ha gow ($2), pork shu mai ($2) and the supremely fine steamed hom bow ($2), sweet chunks of barbecue pork nestled in a fluffy white buns. It's also the spot to retry old-school standards, such as deep-fried sweet-and-sour shrimp ($5.25) covered in pineapple-studded safety-orange syrup. (NR)