I don’t understand the allure of Chow.

It sports three Bauer stars, is consistently in his Top 100, holds a Zagat food score of 20 and is a member of their Other Good Values list. But, on several occasions spanning several years, I’ve tried it and have failed to be impressed.

Late this afternoon, I found myself hungry at Church and Market and gave Chow another shot.

I still don’t understand the allure of Chow.

For a starter, I chose the wontons ($7.50). The perfectly flavored wrappers were filled with prawn and pork. The wontons swam in a vinegary sauce, topped by chopped ginger, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. The dish struck a nice balance of flavors and I quickly inhaled it. For the price, I thought the portion sparse.

My spaghetti and meatballs ($10.95) main course was terrible. By any reasonable definition of the word, there was no sauce. Instead, reddish water pooled at the bottom of the bowl while a few small, lonely globs of cooked tomato perched atop my pasta. The meatballs were too large, lacked browning and were flavorless. Any random brand of boxed spaghetti from Safeway topped with Prego would have created a far more satisfying meal.

The iced tea ($2.75), which the menu kindly pointed out is fair-trade and organic, was mildly flavored, to be polite, with touch of spice.

I don’t usually notice kids’ menus, but this one jumped out at me as being just a wee bit abnormal. The $7.95 price for a cheeseburger or grilled cheese with fries struck me as a rather adult price. The other kids’ menu items had A.Q. pricing. A.Q. for a kids’ menu??? Are you joking??? I’m trying to figure out if that’s pretentious, bizarre or both. I get A.Q. for lobster but for the likes for chicken strips and pizza??? Are you out of your freakin’ gourds???!!!

Abnormalities aside, I did notice a goodly number of families with little ones coming in for an early supper, so it seems to be a popular place to take the small fry.

While Chow is supposed to be a bargain bite, I didn’t find $24.00, including tax and tip, for a starter, pasta and iced tea to be any kind of good value, especially in light of the poor food quality.

One place where Chow did excel was service. My order was taken promptly, my food delivered quickly and my iced tea filled immediately whenever it ran dry. Too bad the back of the house’s efforts don’t measure up to the front’s.

If I’m missing something, if there’s a code I’ve fail to crack, please tell me in the comments sections. Otherwise, I’m saying, “Ciao, Chow.”

Chow
215 Church Street
near Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-552-2469
Map
Web site
Food inspection score: 96
Symbol of Excellence: No