Kowtow to Tao! The hyper hip chain downtown iteration has the classic giant Eastern statue over large sprawling dining hall with lots of burgundy, dark wood and Asian themed art. A certain aura makes Tao stay exciting, so it's no wonder the specialty cocktails go down fast and the food all seems pleasantly attractive, though nothing particularly outstanding.

Downtown location is attached to the Tao Downtown Night Club where the same crowd, the same ambiance, the same vibe occur. But the crowd is standing and swaying and drinking as opposed to sitting and eating and drinking.

Tao still keeps going strong after a number of years, having magically achieved a successful formula early on: fetishize the exotic and push the pretty cocktails. Recommended appetizers are the chicken satay, the squab lettuce wraps, lobster wontons with shiitake ginger broth, and crisp lobster and shrimp dumplings. Best entrees are Hong Kong XO shrimp, wasabi-crusted filet mignon and soy ginger glazed salmon. Don't miss the XO Chinese long beans either.