Grand Sichuan International

[Pan]

Thanks for the report, snausages. Since soup dumplings are a Shanghainese specialty, I'd recommend for people to stay away from soup dumplings at non-Shanghainese restaurants and at Grand Sichuan, get Sichuan dumpling dishes instead, especially as they have good ones.

[Stone]

I thought the soup dumplings at GS 2nd Ave were pretty good.

[tommy]

I thought the soup dumplings at GS 2nd Ave were pretty good.

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i suggest you get your ass to China 46.

[Pan]

Or in Manhattan, try Yeah Shanghai Deluxe.

[Todd36]

Or in Manhattan, try Yeah Shanghai Deluxe.

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I've been turned off on that place ever since I saw them taking dumplings directly from supermarket packages and placing them in the steamers up front.

[Pan]

Really? They get them pre-filled? Including the soup dumplings? And if they get the soup dumplings pre-filled, why are they better than the soup dumplings at other Shanghainese restaurants I've been to in New York?

[Todd36]

Really? They get them pre-filled? Including the soup dumplings? And if they get the soup dumplings pre-filled, why are they better than the soup dumplings at other Shanghainese restaurants I've been to in New York?

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I don't think they were the soup dumplings. Looked like pork dumplings and I think a taro cake. I strongly suspect that several wholesale operations in NY make most of the dumplings, steamed buns etc that we eat. The weird thing about this experience is that these were coming from a supermarket style package. In terms of why they could be better....who knows....might be the way they handle them. I suspect that a lot of food in Chinatown comes from wholesale places. For example, I bet roast meats and ducks come from only a few sources. For example, I recently ordered peking duck for out of town friends at Oriental Garden, a dish I've never seen served there. I expected a diaster. Instead, it was very good. The odds of them having their own duck around available with no notice seems almost zero (remember, its a Cantonese seafood place). I strongly suspect that they ran and got the duck from a specialist. With respect to wholesale soup dumplings, I suspect most of the work is in that soup base and I wouldn't be surprised to discover that it was bought from somewhere.

[Gary Soup]

I've been turned off on that place ever since I saw them taking dumplings directly from supermarket packages and placing them in the steamers up front.

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I haven't been to Yeah Shanghai Deluxe yet (next trip, for sure) and can't comment on YSD or any other restaurant using commercial pre-made stuff (which seems unconscionable to me). However, I can report that in my never-ending quest for xiaolong bao (a.k.a. soup dumplings) I've tried a number of frozen supermarket varieties at home (including a couple imorted from Shanghai) and can report that the best by far were made by a company called Prime Foods in Brooklyn. I know of quite a few restaurants that could noticeably improve the quality of their offerings by substituting these for their own house-made dumplings.

[Jason Perlow]

i suggest you get your ass to China 46.

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Seriously. Comparing GS's Xiao Long Bao to China 46's is like comparing a Volkswagen Passat or a Toyota Camry to a BMW 740i -- except that its like choosing between the two for like the same price.

[Pan]

I haven't been to Yeah Shanghai Deluxe yet (next trip, for sure) and can't comment on YSD or any other restaurant using commercial pre-made stuff (which seems unconscionable to me).

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I'd have to agree. That bothers me.

[Todd36]

I'd have to agree. That bothers me.

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Probably a new topic, but if you read trade rags, there is a shocking amount of pre-made material on the market. I think it may be Hormel's main business these days, and we are talking about way beyound chain places, to individually owned establishments at high price points. And I don't think this is so new. Want to bet as to how many places in NYC make their own fresh ravoli for example? I bet most places buy it straight pre-made from a local supplier. And for some things, making it from scratch is a big pain. It takes a lot of equipment to make Chinese roast pork from scratch, and I bet most places buy it from a local supplier, rather than buying a truckload worth of specialized equipment. Take a look in the back room of say Big Wong. What floored me about Yeah was this was supermaket stuff.

[Pan]

You're right, Todd, this tangent should be a new thread, on the General Forum. By all means, start the thread there if you like.

[Pan]

I want to recommend a new dish I tried today: 131. Steamed Tumip w. Cut Spicy Pepper. Translucent slices of turnip in a tasty, delicate light brown sauce with bits of cut hot pepper, scallions, and other tasty stuff. Very refreshing.

[waves2ya]

Chelsea location; delicious; table of 7 (4 adults & 3 kids) $100...

As per prior various threads suggestions, had wonton soup (impressive chicken broth), dumplings in red oil, "green grass" app and crabmeat soup dumplings. "Green grass" app, a celery & scallion & garlic concoction that the waitress said was 'really hot' (she seemed to warn me on each dish 'hot' or 'really hot') - was really hot in a kimchee kind of way...

Each had a pork bun ($1.50 per; enormous), meaty and very homespun...

Auxzhou chicken was spectacular, dried green beans (in ground pork base) and a beef and bean curd dish that was also wonderful. Kids had sweet & sour chicken and, I thought, the laggard of the group was conch in a black bean sauce; so I'm fussy about conch...

Thank you gulleteers for your suggestions.

[hrowe]

Does anyone know if fresh killed chicken is on the menu yet?

[Pan]

Not listed as such, but ask for it.

[Stone]

The Second Ave location is maddeningly inconsistent. I've had superb orders of qhizhou spicy chicken, which come in a relatively dry preparation with chunks of meat and wonderful sharp flavors. Spicy chicken with broccoli, loaded with sichuan peppercorns and chilis, etc. But other times, the dishes are total failures. Gristly chicken, bland spicing, covered in oil. It's as if the different chefs are working out of different recipe books.

[tupac17616]

Tonight to celebrate my birthday I will be eating with 5 or 6 friends at Grand Sichuan Midtown for the first time, then heading over to Rockefeller Center to watch the big tree being lit. I hardly ever eat Chinese food when I go out, but thought it would be a nice change of pace.

Are there any dishes in particular that are not to be missed? I understand the chinese-american food should be avoided and we should stick with the more authentic chinese dishes, is that right?

I saw the menu on menupages.com, and the smoked tea duck sounds interesting. Anybody had that before?

How are portion sizes? Should we order some appetizers to share before the mains, or would that be too much food? How are their desserts?

I'm just trying to get some idea of how much to order so we have a nice variety of good stuff to share.

Also, is it cash-only, or do they take credit cards? Do they take reservations, and if so should I make reservations if my group will be about 6 or 7 people?

Lastly, I'm looking for a good option for dessert either near Grand Sichuan or near Rockefeller Center. Any and all dessert recommendations in those areas would be greatly appreciated. Cafes, bakeries, ice cream places, sit-down restaurants with great desserts, all would all be fine, the only requirement is a very tasty dessert and it must be within walking distance of GS or Rockefeller.

Sorry about all the questions. I just wanna make sure my birthday celebration will be a fun and memorable (and tasty ) one. Thanks everyone for the help/suggestions.

[tupac17616]

On a completely different note, a friend also suggested going to Pam Real Thai Food instead of Grand Sichuan. Having never been to either GS or Pam before, I was open to the suggestions. I know it is probably comparing apples to oranges (er, uh, Chinese to Thai ), but how do these two places compare? Which would be a better choice for a nice birthday dinner? Grrr, the indecision....

[Pan]

Are there any dishes in particular that are not to be missed? I understand the chinese-american food should be avoided and we should stick with the more authentic chinese dishes, is that right?

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You should generally stick to Sichuan and Hunan dishes and avoid almost everything else.

I saw the menu on menupages.com, and the smoked tea duck sounds interesting. Anybody had that before?

Yeah. It's good but not my favorite thing there. The only place I was really crazy about Smoked Tea Duck was in China, I believe Home Restaurant in Beijing.

How are portion sizes?

Typical Chinese restaurant portions. Main dishes are large oval-shaped platters, appetizers and cold dishes are smaller.

Should we order some appetizers to share before the mains, or would that be too much food?

You should order cold dishes because they're delicious. I guess a cold dish is roughly equal to 1/2 the size of a hot dish or so.

How are their desserts?

Never tried 'em.

Do they take reservations,

Yes.

and if so should I make reservations if my group will be about 6 or 7 people?

You could, though at that location, it may not be necessary. I'd do it, anyway.

My favorite place for dessert in that general vicinity is Poseidon, but they aren't open late and have no place to sit, so I can't help you with that.

Everyone has their favorites, but here are some dishes I particularly recommend:

28. Sichuan Wonton W. Red Oil

30. Dan Dan Noodle W. Chili Sauce

34. Ox Tongue & Tripe W. Hot & Pepper Sauce.

37. Beef W. Hot & Wild Pepper Sauce (delicious!)

38. Beef Tendon W. Hot & Pepper Sauce (a personal favorite)

47. Jelly Fish W. Scallion Oil

50. Cucumber W. Fresh Garlic

106. Braised Whole Fish W. Hot Bean Sauce

120. Gui Zhou Spicy Chicken

136. Squid W. Kung Bao Sauce

149. Cellophane Noodle W. Minced Pork (bursting with flavor!)

171. Bean Curd Family Style (a revelation, if you haven't gone crazy over bean curd before)

179. Sauteed Duck & Bitter Melon (if you like bitter melon, get this; great combination)

183. Spicy and Sour Squid (amazing!)

In addition, some of the dishes from the Prodigal Daughter's menu are great, such as the spinach (#1 on that menu, I believe) and the dish with celery and spicy green pepper in a complex sauce including plenty of red oil (#2, I believe, and spectacular).

Nowadays, I get food from the East Village branch of Grand Sichuan so often that I know their somewhat different menu better, perhaps, than the Midtown branch's menu.

[Pan]

On a completely different note, a friend also suggested going to Pam Real Thai Food instead of Grand Sichuan.

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Go to Grand Sichuan.

[Suzanne F]

Absolutely get the Oxtongue and Tripe cold dish!!!!

[SobaAddict70]

to Pan's list, add any of the freshly killed chicken dishes, the famous kung pao chicken, the pork belly with chestnuts, the braised pumpkin and the pork with spicy and sour green beans.

Soba

[jogoode]

to Pan's list, add any of the freshly killed chicken dishes, the famous kung pao chicken, the pork belly with chestnuts, the braised pumpkin and the pork with spicy and sour green beans.

Soba

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Definitely the green beans!

[tupac17616]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Ended up having a nice meal, even though it was only myself and two friends, a much smaller group than I had hoped for. (What kind of college student chooses to actually do work instead of going out for a little Chinese food? C'mon now ). Anyway, here's what we sampled:

2. Wonton Soup (very flavorful broth, wontons had nice texture, good stuff)

16. Egg Roll (I did not taste this, but my friend seemed to like it)

30. Dan Dan Noodle w. Chili Sauce (quite spicy lingering aftertaste, pretty good)

47. Jelly Fish w. Scallion Oil (not a fan, found it very bland, lacking in flavor)

59. Beef Lo Mein (decent, nothing memorable, friend who ordered it thought it was okay)

110. Smoked Tea Duck (nice crispy skin, flavorful meat, good sauce, my favorite dish of the evening)

Braised Pumpkin (yummy, this was dish was a hit with all three of us)

Overall, good food, good prices, would be nice to go back to sometime.