Most New Yorkers know Shanghai for its soup dumplings, or juicy dumplings, as they are called on this menu.
But its burger isn't: though it owes a significant debt to the burgers at Donovan's, J. G. Melon's and Corner Bistro, the Royale with cheese, as it's called on the restaurant's terse menu, is its own thing.
I once worked for an old-school chef who claimed that everything sold better with the name "amandine" (or "almondine" as it was called, incorrectly, on the menu).
Bean and pasta soup, called traditional on the menu, was satisfying once I added a sprinkle of salt.
In addition to snacks like samosas and pakoras ($5), entrees called plates on the menu come with basmati rice.
The salted beef, called cecina on the menu, is tough, sliced into thin strips and fried on the griddle.
And lamb kofte, called fritters on the menu, brought moist, spicy meatballs with chunky tomato sauce and lovely smoky eggplant.
Mr. Reilly, in his farewells at the door, confided that the dessert didn't sell when it was called tiramisù on the menu, but it was a big hit under its new name.
There are also chicken enchiladas and tamales, and a number of what are called "favorites" on the menu, including an oversize stuffed fajita quesadilla ($6.95 for chicken, 80 cents more for beef) and a trio of salads.
