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In Seattle’s International District, China Gate restaurant, known for dim sum, closes

We all know that change happens – sometimes for the better and sometimes when there’s no opinion at all.

But it’s always good, I think, to pause to remember a place and its role in a community.

This time, the news involves China Gate, a restaurant in Seattle’s International District that stayed open late at night and dished up old-style and tasty dim sum.

It is now closed. Nancy Leson of The Seattle Times has all the details about the closure on her blog, All You Can Eat.

In the International District, I’ve covered a few closings, including the Yick Fung Co. and Kong Sun Co.

They’re the kind of places that you certainly know when you see the building or hear the name. But they might not come to the top of your mind every single day.

In my neighborhood in the past year or so, a market has closed as has two coffee stands, an old-style drugstore, a printing shop and a movie rental business.

I was in the Seattle neighborhood recently and thought I’d stop by to see the building, which has ornate dragons on top, a rich red facade with a yellow sign and a few spots of chipped paint.

This place once was a bustling restaurant - and even attracted Bruce Lee, before he moved to California to pursue his Hollywood career and show more people his martial arts prowess.

His wife told me that when I had the opportunity to chat with her years ago and I mentioned his ties to Seattle and its Chinatown.

From the looks of it, if a restaurant owner wants to move in and open in China Gate, the opportunity exists.

On the restaurant’s Web site, valet parking is still available.

When you look up at the magnificent red facade – which I admit, buildings don’t have as much these days – you spot a Chinese dragon and the Chinese characters, which are pronounced in Mandarin as ”long men jiu jia.”

“Long” means dragon in Chinese. And dragons have long symbolized that country.

Below this dragon – and another one on the other side of the yellow sign – is a note of busier times.

That’s right: Karaoke for customers and the masses, all days of the week.

There’s also a framed restaurant review from Seattle Magazine. The article, published in 2000, talked about top places to eat and included China Gate.

Here’s the text from the framed review:

It’s facade brings to mind a Hollywood backlot set. Inside, China Gate offers a Hong Kong-style menu with a couple hundred choices and dim sum that, while not all stellar, can be quite good. This large eatery offers two dim sum services per day, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 9:30 p.m. to about 2 a.m.

I like that 2 a.m. part.

Yes, I’ve heard that many people don’t feel as safe in Seattle’s International District late at night (or early in the morning) these days.

When I was younger, I’d get hungry at all hours of the day – and dim sum or noodles would enter my mind.

One summer, I lived in Berkeley, Calif. Chinese restaurants in Oakland’s Chinatown stayed open late – and I’d go after I watched David Letterman host his old show on NBC.

At China Gate, what patrons also found inside was an old-style Chinese restaurant.

I’ve visited a few times and ate there once. I recall high-backed booths, which I recall were pure vinyl.

The cash register looked as if it hadn’t been replaced in decades – all shiny metal, buttons that you really have to push to make everything work.

Interestingly enough, those upside down Chinese characters - which are pronounced “fu” in Mandarin Chinese – and are on those red pieces of paper mean good luck and are popular, especially during Lunar New Year.

I recall that the dim sum was filling.

One time, a few years ago, I dropped by and talked with the owner about story ideas in Chinatown.

He was talking with some Chinatown restaurant owners and business leaders – all of whom were seated around a table.

I had never met these business leaders and one asked why he hadn’t seen me more in Chinatown.

The owner was kind enough to offer me some dim sum, which I respectfully declined given that I was working as a journalist.

The place also offered people a chance to see upturned eaves - always great to see (I like big boxy buildings, too).

Of all the comments left on Leson’s blog, I like this one, by a writer who goes by the handle “westsidemarc,” the best:

This is sad news. My grandfather built the ornate Gate for the original owner with whom he was friends for many years and I can recall grand family dinners there as some of my first memories when I was a young boy. I hope that a new owner is found and that they bring the China Gate back to the glory days of the past.

It’s funny how life goes.

It would be great to chat with, if possible, this man who helped build the fancy red gate at China Gate.

Years ago, when I was in college, I chatted with a woman whose relative helped build the pagoda that you see on the Tsingtao Beer label.

Is there value in chatting with people who helped build interesting structures?

In terms of money, no.

But in terms of understanding more about a place, yes.

As for food, after I saw China Gate on my trip to the International District, a friend and I met up at Hing Loon.

I’ve mentioned that I like the place, especially its curry over rice.

We dined on a hot pot dish with salted fish, chicken and tofu ($9.50).

It hit the spot.