Best Pot Stickers

We know someone who came to San Francisco 16 years ago for a job interview and discovered U-Lee's extraordinary pot stickers during his visit. To this day he is convinced his decision to relocate here was subliminally influenced by the nip of ginger that elevates U-Lee's creations (it doesn't hurt that they're also huge). A no-frills storefront at the corner of Hyde and Jackson, U-Lee does most of its business in takeout. All of Russian Hill is wise to U-Lee, to the degree that the family-owned restaurant changed its policy a few years back to deal with the demand: You can no longer get the pot stickers ($4.35) alone; now you must order an entree as well. That's hardly a sacrifice given the high quality of the food; the first-rate chicken in black bean sauce, for example, is made with chicken breast.