Sichuan Province

The 10 Best Concerts in New York This Week, 5/20/13

Need plans? Check out any of these 10 shows around the city this week.

Our 10 Best Restaurants in Elmhurst, Queens

The southern Mexican food is fine at El Jalapeno, but maybe you'd rather go for the opulent nachos regulares, shaped like a sunflower. To look at the neighborhood today, with its bustling commercial strips, tidy frame houses, apartment towers, and plentiful parks, you wouldn't know Elmhurst was fo ... More >>

Mission Chinese in Paris? C'est Possible!

Looks like the rumors are true: Danny Bowien may be opening a French outpost of Mission Chinese. Yesterday, a blogger from Paris by Mouth tweeted a photo of herself palling around the City of Light with the chef/owner behind the insanely popular New York and San Francisco restaurants and added that ... More >>

Michelin Reveals NYC's Best Value Restaurants

The Michelin guide recently released their list of New York City's Bib Gourmands, establishments that serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. This year's list had a record breaking 126 establishments. Winners include: Alobar, Congee Village, Buttermilk Channel, Katz's, Mom ... More >>

The Craziest Chinese Menu In Town

I've seen some offbeat things on Chinese menus--like "Shrimp vs. prawns," which always makes me uncomfortable; I hate the idea of shellfish not getting along! But never have I seen such florid, cuckoo, wacky, fun sounding items as on the menu of Grand Sichuan on 24th Street and 9th Avenue (and othe ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at El Mio Cid; Tejal Rao at Arthur on Smith

Robert Sietsema heads out to the Outer Borough and weighs in on El Mio Cid, a Spanish tapas bar with portions that are way larger than fashionable: "Three to an order, the sardines ($7.50) are some of the biggest fatties you've seen lately, sautéed head-on and sprinkled with fresh parsley." Tejal ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Mission Chinese; Tejal Rao at Foragers City Table

[See More Under Review: Tejal Rao at Reynards; Robert Sietsema at Yemen Café | Robert Sietsema at Pete Zaaz; Tejal Rao at Landbrot | Tejal Rao at Pok Pok Ny; Robert Sietsema on Eldridge Street] Robert Sietsema says that although Mission Chinese is not completely authentic Sichuan food, it is likab ... More >>

Eldridge Street—Your Home for Wildly Inexpensive Chinese Food

Life is cheap

Postcards from China: Introduction Xiamen

Welcome to Postcards from China, a series of delicious snapshots from my summer in China and Taiwan. I decided to travel to China this summer to learn a little bit more about the culinary culture here. In New York City, Chinese food has become synonymous with take-out and Sichuan (or Szechuan) food ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Little Pepper; Tejal Rao at La Vara

See what NYC's restaurant critics have been up to this week: Robert Sietsema tries the Sichuan fare at Little Pepper: "The tiny chunks of light and dark meat lurk among bales of toasted red chiles, and for once, the peppers seem to have conferred their hotness on the poultry. Raw sesame seeds scat ... More >>

This Week in the Voice: OBIES 2012

This week in the Voice, out today, Michael Feingold says in his essay on the OBIES that Broadway kinda sucks: "Sitting through Man and Superman and The Caretaker, after a week that had included Ghost, Don't Dress for Dinner, and Leap of Faith, I realized that I didn't hate theatergoing at all: I jus ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Florencia 13; One NYT Star for Alison Eighteen

In this week's Voice, Robert Sietsema tests out Cal-Mex specialties and margaritas at the Village's Florencia 13: "You should start your meal with a flaming margarita, though that flame is confined to a small slice of cucumber floating on top. It's indicative of a playful element in Mexican cuisine ... More >>

Year of the Takeout Day 55: New Apolo

​Orange Chicken from New Apolo (52 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211)

Year of the Takeout Day 36: Homes Kitchen

​ (Hunan Tofu from Homes Kitchen, 22 East 21st Street, 212-475-5049)

NYC's Five Greasiest Dishes

​Before downing this pair of well-fatted babies, better make sure you have a gastroenterologist on call. We encounter greasy (pronounced "greazy") food the time in our wanderings. Sometimes it's good, but sometimes excessive fat content gets in the way of really enjoying a dish, and makes y ... More >>

Harold Dieterle Is Loving Himself Some Steakhouses

Courtesy of First Press PRA new restaurant maybe?​ Harold Dieterle was recently awarded a spot on Robert Sietsema's list: New York City's 17 Greatest Chefs . The first-season winner of Top Chef is tops in New York City for his command of two successful Greenwich Village restaurants, Perilla a ... More >>

The Cannibal: Let's Meat Up

No human dishes here, but lots of animal ones

He Nan Flavor: Noodle on Down

The Lower East Side greets its first Henan restaurant

Spicy Big Tray Chicken at He Nan Flavor, Dish No. 10

​If the name of this dish could be properly written, it might read Soupy Mass of Chicken in a Wok, which describes perfectly what it is.

Fall Arts: New York City's Five Chinatowns

RedFarm Will Be 'Barn-y,' Inauthentic

Robert SietsemaA $5.95 order of Sichuan wontons from Foodparc's RedFarm Stand.​After many months of anticipation, RedFarm will most likely within the next couple of weeks. Ed Schoenfeld gave Grub Street many details about the restaurant, which he's opening with Joe Ng. And it looks like no one ... More >>

Make Chris Santos's Salt & Pepper Shrimp, from Beauty & Essex

photo by Michael McCarthyBeauty & Essex's Salt & Pepper Shrimp​The best dishes, especially for parties, impress your friends, but take, like, zero effort. Here's one from Chris Santos of Beauty & Essex, which he says you can whip up in little more than a minute. "I love our Salt & Pepper Shri ... More >>

Hello Hello Ai Weiwei

Will the Chinese star's detention force the art world to better confront human rights?

Ten Fascinating Ethnic Ingredients Chefs Should Get to Know Better

Sprinkled with sesame seeds, marinated jellyfish makes a memorable summer salad​ The last couple of decades have flooded NYC with colorful cuisines many of us never knew existed, and stocked ethnic markets with exotic ingredients that had strange names and fascinating properties. This influx ... More >>

Minutes of the Organ Meat Society at Porsena

​First course: An amuse of broiled rabbit hearts with garlic and olive oil On Friday evening the Organ Meat Society met to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the organization.

Fake Blueberries Plague Our Food Products; Cook Gets Jail Time for Putting Body Hair in Cop's Sandwich

​An investigation has been launched into what caused a mysterious greenish-yellow goo to fall from the skies in Snyder, New York. Turns out, it might be the poo of seagulls who dined on McDonald's fries. [Daily Mail] Chengdu province is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of spicy Sichuan ... More >>

Szechuan Chalet Slings Some Unexpectedly Hot Hash on the Upper East

​In what my be its first ever appearance on Upper East Side turf--jellyfish! Like a very, very red oil spill, Sichuan restaurants have fanned out across the five boroughs, and no locale is seemingly exempt. Case in point: Szechuan Chalet on the Upper East Side, a neighborhood more known for i ... More >>

Henan Feng Wei—a Rare Henan Restaurant—Offers Unfussy Food

Venture down to Flushing's bargain basement

Our 10 Most Challenging Dishes in NYC

​A stew at Island of Taiwan incorporates pig bung and blood, a match made in heaven. When it comes to dining, we each have our own comfort zones. Some avidly down handfuls of Sichuan peppercorns, relishing the burn, while others consume animal glands of the earthiest and most arcane sort as i ... More >>

Spicy Tingly Beef Noodles at Xi'an Famous Foods

​It's no secret that Xi'an Famous Foods' wide, chewy noodles are completely delicious, but when I was thinking about this week's Ask the Critic question--about where to get the city's spiciest food--I wondered what would happen if I asked for one of Xi'an's chile-oil-napped dishes extra spicy ... More >>

Feds Bust Tri-State Smuggling Slave Labor Ring, No More General Tso's For You

​Twenty-six New Yorkers are being charged with money laundering and human trafficking for their roles in a "complex criminal scheme" that included smuggling and employing illegal aliens from China.

Last Train Home Focuses on a Single Family Caught up in World's Largest Mass Immigration

Eataly Debuts Training Program for Career Changers; Lincoln Center Becomes New Culinary Hotspot

​Mario Batali gains a TV show, a 50,000-square-foot food emporium, and a new restaurant in Singapore, and loses 35 pounds by eating less meat and more vegetables. [Wall Street Journal] Meanwhile, after receiving so many applications form career changers, the team behind Eataly has launched a ... More >>

Play 'I.D. That Organ' in Spicy and Tingly Lamb Face Salad

​Oh, hello! What is that piece of flesh looking up at me? Xi'an Famous Foods' "Spicy and Tingly Lamb Face Salad" might be the most perfect summer meal: shredded scallions, green chiles, sprouts, and a catalog of variety meats from the facial area, immersed in a gritty red sauce with lots of a ... More >>

This Week's Installment of Ask the Critics: Mom's in Town

​The laid-back vibe early in the evening, and charming West Village location of Malatesta, may be perfect for mom. One of my favorite parts of my job is helping friends and acquaintances with restaurant recommendations, and I work on several per week, time permitting. If I were an idiot savan ... More >>

Andrew W.K. Has The Best Idea for a Restaurant Ever.

Mike LumAndrew W.K.​Most people know Andrew W.K. from the hit singles off his first album, 2001's I Get Wet, which included "Party Hard," "She is Beautiful" and "I Like to Party." If you sense that he's a fun guy who likes to party, then you, sir or madam, are correct. He parlayed his passion ... More >>

Where Am I Eating? Lan Sheng

Lan Sheng's cold sliced conch in chile oil​Thanks to all the clever commenters who played this week's Where Am I Eating? Yes, the pictures shown--rabbit with pickled chiles and conch in chile oil--were eaten at Lan Sheng, the relatively recent Sichuan addition to midtown, situated on the sam ... More >>

Alone in the Kitchen With a Pig's Uterus

Uteri, awaiting their fate​Of all the offal piled in bins at Fei Long Supemarket (6301 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn), the pig uteri are the most intriguing. Maybe it's their shiny, coiled, seashell-like forms, or maybe it's the fact that uteri somehow seem more out-of-the-ordinary than other guts, ... More >>

Our 10 Best East Village Restaurants

​A sushi assortment from Kanoyama shimmers, with huge eel filets slithering down the center of the plate. The East Village is swarming with restaurants, many of them excellent. The mixture is as eclectic as anywhere in town, with 30 or so ethnicities represented, and price levels ranging from ... More >>

Macao Trading Company Gets a New Chef, Adds Late Night Dim Sum, Nixes Brunch

Macao Trading Company​Changes have been afoot at Macao Trading Company, the Portuguese-Asian eatery to which Our Man Sietsema gave good marks in 2008. About two months ago, the restaurant got a new executive chef, Chewy Cereceres, who previously helmed Kobe Club. Cereceres has been slowly maki ... More >>

Under Review: DiGregorio at Lan Sheng; Sietsema on Dining Trends of the Aughts

This week in the Voice, Sarah DiGregorio discovers delicious, authentic Sichuan and a labor dispute at Lan Sheng. Our Man Sietsema rounds up the decade's best dining and drinking trends (Neapolitan pizza! Ramen! Beer!). Sam Sifton revisits La Grenouille, pronouncing it "a classic French restaurant. ... More >>

Cookbook Tester: Japanese Hot Pots

Salmon hot pot--made with arctic char​ One of the only good things about summer's passing is the arrival of soup season. Just in time, Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals by Matsuri chef Tadashi Ono and writer Harris Salat comes out a week from today. Japanese hot pot, or nabemono, ... More >>

Chinese Drug Addict Performs Touching Baby-Out-Window Tribute to Michael Jackson

The shock waves from Michael Jackson's death continue to be felt around the world. A man in Sichuan Province, China dangled his two-year-old daughter out the window of his apartment in a touching tribute to the King of Pop's similar stunt with infant Prince Michael II, aka Blanket, in 2002. The New ... More >>

The Early Word -- Macao Trading Company

The Traveling Omnivore's 20

Our Man Sietsema at the Golden Shopping Mall

Are We There Yeti?

Very strange combination of cuisines flourishes in Sunnyside

It's a Good One: Wonton Perfection, and Dog Meat Tales

Magnificent Morsels

A brilliant dim sum specialist appears in the Brooklyn outback

Busting Out