These days, Porsches are considered pedestrian rides 
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This subset of the post got me to thinking and reading. I found loads of things about Chinese flaunting their wealth but really nothing about why they do more than other nationalities. If you’re interested google “falling star meme.”
Down in the SF South Bay.
I wouldn’t consider the three above as head turners but this one got my attention 
It’s also a cultural thing. Bay Area wealthy don’t flaunt their wealth as much, even though they are certainly more wealthy then their Southern counterparts–for instance 3 of the top 5 richest cities in America, as well as the top 2 richest metropolitan areas in America, are both in the Bay Area (southern California is not featured at all in either list). Atherton, by any measure the richest city in America and many times more wealthy than Beverly Hills, seems much more low key.
Totally agree with Atherton. Woodside also? I know a ‘horsey’ family who hails from there.
Bistro Na’s is not “expensive” or very sophisticated in my opinion, though it is very good. Newport Seafood is just not at all my any measure.
The other two don’t even exist. Opal closed due to slow business. Yu Bo’s house never did.
If you consider Newport Seafood to be expensive and sophisticated, I can name at least 30 in the Bay Area that qualify at that level. Koi Palace which has at least 3 locations (6 including offshoots), Yank Sing (2 locations), even Asian Pearl (3 locations), R&G, Harborview, HK Lounge, China Live, Great China, etc… Of course that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about Hakkasan type places, which we have Mister Jiu’s, Eight Tables, and Jai Yun (still there, yes). And even if you don’t consider Benu Chinese, there’s nothing like it in LA.
The point is, SFBA folks don’t go to LA for expensive, sophisticated food, Chinese or not–we have that in spades. We go to LA for mid-range spots and a diversity of flavors.
Some of us go to LA (and other places around the world) to do things other than just eating 
You got it!
The 2010 census counted 6,914 people living in Atherton, of whom 911 were Asian, vs. 34,109 in Beverly Hills, including 3,032 Asians.
Mister Jiu’s is mid-range and very casual. Jai Yun is still where? Nightshade and Kato are doing food something like Benu’s.
Mister Jiu’s is mid-range and very casual but Newport Seafood is sophisticated and high-end? Give me a break.
As I said, I haven’t been to Newport Seafood, or any expensive Chinese place in LA (unless you count Nightshade, which isn’t very Chinese or very expensive). I just saw references to it as upscale.
It’s also a demographic blindspot. By design.
There are many über wealthy Chinese in the SoCal region that are simply not captured in the census data.
And that’s by design. Their own design.
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I know exactly what you’re talking about (overseas trust fund → don’t disclose → don’t need to pay taxes). It’s the same in the Bay Area.
No, you don’t.
And, no, it’s not that.
So what IS it?
I forgot one big reason for the lack of high-end Chinese restaurants: from the perspective of the rich and connected, they already exist.
… the carpet was soiled … Our table was sticky and coated with what looked like a glaze of grease. The waiters looked disheveled and their vests were soiled. The place had every sign of a restaurant operation that’s making lots of money and doesn’t care. …
Near the end of the meal Chiang noted that we were in the “tourist” dining room, which was funny because I saw only one other table of Caucasians. She then pointed to a gold walled room on the right, telling me that was reserved for “locals” and VIPs. She also made note of the fact that in that room, people were served efficiently, the captains were in suits and the surroundings looked better maintained.
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Here’s my pet theory on the lack of Chinese (and for that matter, less non-Chinese) fine dining in LA compared to SF and NY. There’s a relative lack of expense account dining in LA compared to SF and NY. LA has no corporate headquarters to speak of outside of entertainment industry firms. Bay Area and New York are full of them. New York has Wall Street. SF is Wall Street west. LA has none of that financial stuff. Hence much less business subsidized expensive food.
Also explains why Hakkasan flopped down here while going strong in SF and NY.
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What a great perspective. Thanks.
I don’t think Chinese people flaunt their wealth more than many other ethnicities (in SoCal, at least)…
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There were almost countless articles about it but maybe it’s just in China. But then upthread someone mentioned where they live and what they drive. I’m in no way making a personal comment here.