Matt wrote:

riddlemay wrote:How expensive is expensive? The online version of the menu doesn't show prices. So, like, is a main dish at Shanghai Terrace (let's just say the Kung Pao Chicken for grins) expensive as in, say, $28? Or is it expensive as in, say, $68?

$28 on the nose (if AllMenus is to be trusted).

Uncanny! A lifetime of dining out must have turned me into the restaurant psychic.

Very helpful. Thanks.

riddlemay wrote:How expensive is expensive?

As I posted way back in 2007:

nsxtasy wrote:There is a price to all of this, of course; with entrees in the mid thirties ($42 for the lobster), you'll probably find, as we did, that you're paying somewhere around $100/person including moderate alcohol, tax, and tip. Obviously this is several times what you would pay at your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. But in terms of food, atmosphere, and service, I consider our dinner experience more comparable to dining at a very nice restaurant like one sixtyblue or Blackbird or North Pond, and it's priced similar to those. If a Chinese dinner in an upscale, luxurious environment fits your needs, and you don't mind paying the price, then Shanghai Terrace is a good choice.

nsxtasy wrote:

riddlemay wrote:How expensive is expensive?

As I posted way back in 2007:

nsxtasy wrote:There is a price to all of this, of course; with entrees in the mid thirties ($42 for the lobster), you'll probably find, as we did, that you're paying somewhere around $100/person including moderate alcohol, tax, and tip. Obviously this is several times what you would pay at your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. But in terms of food, atmosphere, and service, I consider our dinner experience more comparable to dining at a very nice restaurant like one sixtyblue or Blackbird or North Pond, and it's priced similar to those. If a Chinese dinner in an upscale, luxurious environment fits your needs, and you don't mind paying the price, then Shanghai Terrace is a good choice.

Thanks for reposting, nsxtasy. So, if most entrees were in the mid-thirties way back in 2007, chances are good that most entrees are now somewhere in the mid-fifties. Not due so much to the CPI but to that special brand of inflation called "Chicago restaurant inflation" which seems not to be tied to the CPI. Or is my inference incorrect?

riddlemay wrote:chances are good that most entrees are now somewhere in the mid-fifties
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Or is my inference incorrect?

As it turns out, your inference is incorrect.

Shanghai Terrace has its menu posted on the Pen's website. Prices are not shown where the menu items are displayed on the web page, but at the top of the dinner menu, it says, "View The Shanghai Terrace Dinner Menu Here." If you click on that, it displays a .pdf of the menu WITH PRICES. Or you can click here for their current dinner menu. As you can see, most of the entree prices vary widely, from high teens to mid forties (aside from the usual exceptions for abalone and Peking duck), and average in the low to mid thirties.

nsxtasy wrote:Prices are not shown where the menu items are displayed on the web page, but at the top of the dinner menu, it says, "View The Shanghai Terrace Dinner Menu Here." If you click on that, it displays a .pdf of the menu WITH PRICES.

Fantastic. I found it, thanks to that guidance. We have a reservation for a week from tonight, which I'm looking forward to!

I really liked Shanghai Terrace--and so did the other three in the party.

My starters were the Roasted Duck and Pork, and the Wonton Soup. Main was the Spicy Sweet Chili Prawns. For dessert we shared the Mango Tapioca, not the most shareable of desserts, but we managed. A very good Manhattan started everything off.

Everything met or exceeded expectations. But truthfully, I may have been as enchanted by the vibe of the place as I was by the food. There's something about the room, and the beautifully gracious and refined people working in it, that make you feel "as if you're not in Kansas [or Chicago] anymore," in a manner I've rarely experienced here. (To try to be clearer, I've had food that made me go "Wow, this is amazing and different," but I still knew I was in Chicago having that food. Shanghai Terrace made me feel like I was somewhere that existed out of normal time and place.)

Well worth the (not insanely expensive) price for the total experience.