Tag Archives: restaurant reviews

Above Average Chinese

9 Aug

I have been hearing great things about Grand Sichuan International since I moved to north Chelsea.  It seems to be the place to go, but I had never been.  When my Aunt and Uncle came in for a visit and Uncle Shelley wanted Chinese, it clicked.  It was time to try the “amazing Smoked Tea Duck” I kept reading about. 

Aunt Lynne ordered the pickled cabbage.  It was not in a format we were used to, but it tasted good.  It was quite spicy, however, so I had one piece and called it a day.

As mentioned in my previous entry about Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, I love pork dumplings at Chinese restaurants.  Luckily, Uncle Shelley shares my fondness and ordered them when I forgot.  They were delish! (One curiousity I’ve always had… how do all Chinese restaurants have almost the EXACT SAME recipe for pork dumplings?  They all pretty much taste the same!)

I had to order the Smoked Tea Duck, even after being told it was a fried dish.  I am SOOOO glad I did! It was perfect flavor with fatty goodness in between a crispy skin and flavor filled, meaty, and not greasy duck meat.  It was over cucumbers (which, in my opinion, should have filled the weird gap space on the plate, but I’ll take it).  It was probably some of the best duck I’ve had to date.

Aunt Lynne ordered healthy and went with the “Four Precious Jewels” which sounded too good to be good for you!  It consisted of jumbo shrimp, scallops, fish filet, and beef slices with snow peas, baby corn, carrots, and soft bean curd.  She got it with a side of garlic sauce.  Aunt Lynne said it was delicious and cooked to perfection.

Uncle Shelley went with the Seafood Delight and was delighted! (yes… I just made that joke)

Overall, it was certainly above average Chinese.  I will definitely be going back if I want Chinese again. 

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

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Brews, Meat, and Gelato

6 Aug

A beautiful Saturday night led to a decision for an impromptu night out.  Unfortunately not many people could join on such late notice, however, my friend Travis (purveyer of dried fruits and nuts… see next entry) did manage to make his way from NJ to the far west side.  We decided to check out The Frying Pan which is an old Lightship that is current docked and converted into a bar on the Hudson River at the west end of West 26th Street.  It was an awesome space, but WAY too crowded and they had a wedding going on and were getting ready for a private party, thereby limiting the space even more.  Mike and I grabbed a drink while waiting for Travis and then decided that we’d be better off coming back to The Frying Pan on a weekday or weekend afternoon when it wasn’t so crazy. 

So we walked just a few blocks down to Chelsea Piers to go check out Chelsea Brewing Company.  I had been there late at night for drinnks and when all they had for food was brick oven pizza (which is pretty good if I remember).  It’s a great looking restaurant with two levels, arching bars, and the brewing tanks behind the bar.

As it was a beautiful night, we wanted to sit outside, and while inside was instant seating, outside would take about 30 minutes.  Fine!  There’s a bar and, my fave, beer flights!

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t even 10 minutes later that we were told our table was ready outside and a very impressive waitress balanced our flights and brought them outside to us.  The view of the marina was beautiful.  Who says Jersey and the Hudson are ugly?

We were pretty hungry by this time, so we ordered an app of fresh hot pretzels (sides of honey mustard and melted cheese that tasted like cracked out velveeta… in a good way).  We managed to devour the plate before I realized my camera was sitting next to me, so all you get is the empty plate. SORRY!

I went with the steak sandwich with provolone and a side of mashed sweet potatoes. The whole thing was great, and I managed to eat ALL those sweet potatoes since they were sooooo good.

Travis got the same thing but with blue cheese instead of provolone (smart) and mashed regular potatoes.

Mike went with (can you guess?) the BURGER!  This one sounded especially tasty with shrooms, bacon, and swiss.  It was a damn good burner with damn good fries.

Overall, you cannot beat the view and the beauty of the restaurant (even if it’s not exactly convenient) and the food is quite delicious.  I was pleasantly surprised since I thought that it would be “just okay” seeing as though there is really nothing else in the area to compete with.

Total Nom Points: 7 out of 10

We decided to walk down The Highline (I LOVE THE HIGHLINE!) since Travis had never been.  I like the fact that there are VERY few vendors on The Highline and no stores.  One of the vendors this night was gelatto, and I couldn’t resist.  It was from L’Arte Del Gelato (a known great place) and it didn’t dissapoint. I went with the chocolate chip mixed with banana.  Mike chose Biscotti and Travis went with milk chocolate and banana mix.  I think we were all quite happy with our selections.

Total Nom Points: 7.5 out of 10

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Rickshaw Dumplings

5 Aug

I’m an outright sucker for celebrity chefs.  I see them cook on TV and instantly begin Googling their restaurants or plotting to remember the name next time I show up in their city. 

This happened quite quickly and easily while watching Anita Lo on Top Chef Masters.  She seemed so quiet and yet came in to steal the show each time and cooked what sounded like amazing food.  Unfortunately her main restaurant, Anissa, caught fire and is currently closed, however, Rickshaw Dumpling Bar (on 23rd between 6th Ave and Broadway) is very close to my apartment.  A beautiful day in NYC led us straight there… well… after a movie (500 Days of Summer! Go see it! Great movie-making) and the gym.

Mike and I each ordered dumplings of our own and decided to share the pork buns.  I went with the Pork Dumplings (since I am a closet lover of greasy, hole in the wall Chinese Pork Dumplings).  They were… ehh… though the soy sauce was especially tasty.

Mike got the Peking Duck Dumplings and they were really great. Perfect flavor and tenderness.

The pork buns were great (but my main comparison is Momofuku’s so it certainly paled in comparison).

We also both ordered green tea shakes.  I LOVED this.  SOOO tasty.

During the whole meal I stared at a poster behind Mike that noted that the soup dumplings were rated as one of the top ten chocolate desserts in all of NYC by NY Mag.  I couldn’t resist and went back up to order, though just one for each of us. 

Um… WOW!  These things were heaven.  My perfect dessert.  Mochi outside (rolled in black sesame seeds) and a molten warm chocolate center (can be messy but totally worth it).  HEAVEN!  I will be back for these. 

I have to rate this separately since the deviation between the dumplings and the dessert dumplings is HUGE. 

Overall, dumplings were fine, but I’ve had better, and the pork was dissapointing.  Same with the buns, good but I’ve had better.  Dessert may be one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten.

Total Nom Points for Meal: 6 out of 10

Total Nom Points for Dessert: 9.5 out of 10

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