In the seventies, ladies who were foolish enough to go out with me would often be treated to a repast at Madame Wu's Garden, a lovely place to dine on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. It closed down in 1998 and there's now a Whole Foods Market where it used to be. Eventually, something owned by Jeff Bezos will replace everything in our world.
There were cheaper places to get good Chinese Food but the ambience was nice, the staff was oh-so-courteous and friendly, and Madame Sylvia Wu herself might just stop by your table and make you feel especially welcome. She was famous for her cookbooks and was delighted one time when I ordered a copy of one "to go," autographed to my mother. My mother loved going there too and at her request, I took her there for a last Madame Wu meal just before the place closed in '98. (Madame Wu later opened another restaurant but it never caught on.)
Her Garden was a lovely place with a celebrity clientele and food which must have been healthier than I imagined. Because Madame Wu just died this past Thursday at the age of 106.