American Chinese food has spent more than a century adapting to the habits of its diners, which may explain how a cuisine born from immigration, scarcity and relentless ingenuity eventually became something many of us enjoy eating in sweatpants, straight from a paper carton, six inches from a glowing television screen.
With San San, an 80-seat restaurant that had a soft launch on Tuesday at 2014 10th St., near the Pearl Street Mall, chef Edwin Zoe is arguing that dishes like General Tso’s chicken and chop suey belong in a dining room with proper craft cocktails, soft booth lighting, and guests wearing pants that do not double as napkins.
Zoe, a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur, knows Boulder’s appetite for casual Chinese food well. His fast-casual restaurant, Zoe Ma Ma, 919 Pearl St., Boulder, has built a loyal following around Taiwanese street food, steamed buns and noodle dishes. He is also behind Pearl Poké, 2010 10th St., Boulder, and Dragonfly Noodle, which closed in Boulder just weeks ago to make way for San San…