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)