China 46

[=Mark]

Something that might help, would be if the local papers (NJ section of the Times, Bergen Record, Star Ledger) actually wrote news stories about this, and went and talked to Cecil and other local Chinese restaurant owners.

But then they might have to tone down the attention getting scare mongering headlines that they feel sell more newspapers.

[tommy]

last night, i had a dream that i walked up to china 46, and the sign was different. the place had closed and reopened as something else. cecil was still the owner, though. but it wasn't China 46 anymore. i think it's time i get back there. it's a national treasure, and i hate to see their business fall off.

[jhlurie]

last night, i had a dream that i walked up to china 46, and the sign was different.  the place had closed and reopened as something else.  cecil was still the owner, though.  but it wasn't China 46 anymore.  i think it's time i get back there.  it's a national treasure, and i hate to see their business fall off.

How about calling it "We Don't Have SARS 46".

[Double 0]

We took some freinds from Bklyn last night. As usual the food was great, but the place was empty again (Sun 7PM). 4 adults, 2 teenagers $120 tax and tip included. Where are you going to find food of this quality for this price? Support China 46.

[Rachel Perlow]

China 46 was hopping tonight. I wonder if it being one of the few places open in Bergen County during a huge power outage had anything to do with it? We sampled an interesting dish of sauteed shrimp with fava beans. Very simple, very delicious.

[mjc]

Thursday was my 25th birthday and I was supposed to go to WD-50 with my family, but something came up and they had to cancel. So instead I went out to dinner with my med school friends. It was a pretty large group (10 people) and with such last minute plans I thought that one of the best places to go would be China 46.

This was definitely and excellent choice and we had a really great meal. (I had been there once before and wrote a blurb about it here). I asked Jason for his favorite dishes and he gave me some excellent suggestions (Thanks again). I guess we didn’t have anything new, but I thought I would post my impressions.

The place was packed and we sat at the table in the front. The entire other room was filled with “Executives” from a Chinese Steel Company who were visiting the US and celebrating the recent triumph of the Chinese space program. Even though they were so busy we received excellent service and the owner Cecil took personal care of us.

We started with the Spicy Capsicum Noodles, Pork/Crab Xiao Long Bao, and Jiaozi which are steamed dumplings made with lamb mixed with mustard greens. These were all excellent, I especially liked the Jiaozi.

At this point my friends presented me with a gift. Well, not really what I would call a gift, it was a Betty Crocker Basics cookbook. It was a gag, and I quickly hid it under the table. They later gave me a panini press, which is pretty cool.

Anyway, for main courses we had the Salt and Pepper Jumbo Shrimp. These were really great. They usually come 8 to an order, but he added two extra’s so everyone could try one. These are deep fried shrimp with the shells still on and a lot of salt. I was surprised that even though they were so salt and you had to eat the shell and legs, they were really delicious.

We also had Dungeness Crab over Sauteed Flat Rice Noodle with Garlic. When this dish arrived it looked and smelled fantastic. It tasted good too.

We had Sauteed Rice Cake with Shredded Pork, which I had here once before and really enjoy. We also ordered the Diced Chicken w. Spicy Capsicum Brown Sauce. This was a good dish too, the chicken was in chunks and was very moist. The sauce had just the perfect amount of spicyness.

My favorite dish was the ruby pork with sesame buns. The pork was incredibly flavorful. The buns that you stuff it into were also great. They were really crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside. I also really liked the spicy house sauté they serve with it, but could not figure out what is was. Does anyone know?

Overall I think that was an excellent meal. I think that this is the best Chinese restaurant that I’ve been too and look forward to returning again.

Here's a pic of the ruby pork. What's in the dish on the right of it?

[Rachel Perlow]

The house special saute consists primarily of small cubes of pork, tofu and hot peppers. It's not on the regular menu, but is frequently written on the board. But even if it's nowhere to be seen, you can still order it.

[mjc]

The house special saute consists primarily of small cubes of pork, tofu and hot peppers. It's not on the regular menu, but is frequently written on the board. But even if it's nowhere to be seen, you can still order it.

so it isn't usually served with the pork then?

[Jason Perlow]

The house special saute consists primarily of small cubes of pork, tofu and hot peppers. It's not on the regular menu, but is frequently written on the board. But even if it's nowhere to be seen, you can still order it.

so it isn't usually served with the pork then?

Its another dish that is to be eaten with the sesame buns. We just normally order both.

[Rachel Perlow]

There are three dishes (that we know of) that are commonly ordered with sesame buns: Ruby Pork, House Special Saute, and Sizzling Lamb with Scallions. We usually only order one per visit.

[mjc]

Its another dish that is to be eaten with the sesame buns. We just normally order both.

There are three dishes (that we know of) that are commonly ordered with sesame buns: Ruby Pork, House Special Saute, and Sizzling Lamb with Scallions. We usually only order one per visit.

Well, one of you isn't telling the truth

I don't think we ordered the house special saute. I guess Cecil ordered/brought it for us. I'm glad he did, because it was great in the buns with the pork.

[Rachel Perlow]

Yeah he does that (referring to Cecil bringing extras).

Usually we just order one item for sesame bun stuffing. Sometimes Jason just has to have this dish and that dish and saying "that's too much food" or "they are both for stuffing in sesame buns" is no matter to him.

[ErinB]

Are there many vegetarian options here?

I may be going with a friend who's Vegetarian, I on the other hand will be eating mass quantities of meat.

[Rachel Perlow]

They have a decent vegetarian selection, without resorting to too much fake meat. Click here for their Vegetables menu section.

[slkinsey]

What more can be said about the excellence of this place that hasn't already been said? Went there last PM with bergerka, Eric_Malson and a non-eGullet friend we're luring over to the dark side.

Now... I've been to C46 around four times. Couple times with Jason and FG and a couple times with FG. Not all that many times. And yet, the minute I walked into the place Cecil walked right up to me, said,"how are you, I haven't seen you here in a while" and took us right to the nice big table where we always seem to sit. As always, we were offered recommendations and sampled dishes not on the regular menu. Now, that's customer relations. There are plenty of "white tablecloth" places in Manhattan that could learn a lot from Cecil.

Since there were only four of us, we didn't get a chance to sample too many different things, and since it was the first time there for two of us, we wanted to have some of the "greatest hits" dishes. We started off with the spicy capsicum noodles. Delicious, slippery and nicely spicy. I hadn't really had any spicy food at C46 before, and this did not disappoint.

Then we had both kinds of soup dumplings (pork and crab & pork). Our friend, who is a regular at Joe's Shanghai in Elmhurst, declared C46's version an overall winner, although he liked the broth at Joe's a little better. Is the Elmhurst Joe's significantly less expensive than the one in Chinatown? Interestingly, he said that the soup dumplings were a little less expensive at Joe's Shanghai, which struck me as interesting because I am almost positive this is not the case where the Chinatown branch is concerned. They were, as always, excellent. We also got the "eGullet special," a nice platter of jiaozi and a saucer of raw garlic. These are great. Not to be missed. Should be on the menu.

Next we had the fish (flounder?) wrapped in tofu skin and fried, on Cecil's recommendation. Some of you who were at the Chinese New Year's party might remember this. I wasn't there, so this dish was a revelation. So light and crunchy. Perfect with a little vinegar.

After that came some pork anc cabbage stifried with rice cakes and some Sichuan peppercorn. I love this one. Simple and always delicious.

Finally we had the ruby roast pork. What a great dish! We finished the whole thing easily between the four of us.

Definitely one of the best Shanghaiese places around.

[jogoode]

Finally we had the ruby roast pork. What a great dish! We finished the whole thing easily between the four of us.

Definitely one of the best Shanghaiese places around.

Best rendition of the dish I've tried. Did you have any sesame buns with the pork?

I have to try those jiaozi. How do you pronounce it, so I can order it with minimal confusion and embarassment? jeeo-ZEE... JEEOW-tzi...?

[slkinsey]

Finally we had the ruby roast pork.  What a great dish!  We finished the whole thing easily between the four of us.

Definitely one of the best Shanghaiese places around.

Best rendition of the dish I've tried. Did you have any sesame buns with the pork?

Of course.

I have to try those jiaozi. How do you pronounce it, so I can order it with minimal confusion and embarassment? jeeo-ZEE... JEEOW-tzi...?

I say: jow-zee with more or less equal stress.

[dumpling]

[i have to try those jiaozi. How do you pronounce it, so I can order it with minimal confusion and embarassment? jeeo-ZEE... JEEOW-tzi...?

The second one

[jo-mel]

Sounds like great selections!!

You are so right about Cecil! I had been there once, with Jason and Rachel, and when I went again, with a friend, he came right up and started speaking like an old friend. He remembered that I can stammer in Chinese, and so he started a simple conversation -- which pleased me to no end!! I was there again, a week or so ago, (my 4th visit) and when we first sat down -- the usual sweet sauce with noodles appeared on the table ---- until a waiter recognized me, and out came the chopsticks and spicy cold cabbage appetizer!!

About the dumplings -- try JOW-dzi. (2 syllables) There's a little 'I' after the 'J', but it is not really strongly ennunciated. Or have I just confused you?

[snausages2000]

Thank you New Jersey for bringing China 46 to my attention. Had to butter up a friend with a car for several weeks to escape from NY and experience highway Shanghai delights, but it was well worth it.

Went last night in a group of 5 and got:

Spicy Capsicum Noodles

Ox Tongue and Tripe

Soup Dumplings (Crab & Pork and Pork)

Sizzling Lamb with Scallions

Ruby Pork with Sesame Buns

Flounder in Crispy Tofu Skin

Came in expecting a lot and was not disappointed. Everything was great. Tried to order sticky rice stuffed chicken and superior soup but they weren't available so we went with the lamb.

China 46 seems to excel at such a wide variety of things - I've been to places that have great soup dumplings, or places with good braised meat, or good sichuan spice, or Islamic Chinese lamb options, but it's all covered at Cecil's. Do good Shanghainese restaurants in China offer this sort of breadth or is China 46 creating an unusual 'greatest hits' experience?

The owner was, as seems to be the rule, extremely gracious - brought us cold seaweed to start and a big sticky rice cake at the end.

Also, anyone who likes Sichuan peppercorns should go now. The ox tongue left my tongue numb for about five minutes. I've never had a dish at Grand Sichuan as powerfully tingly. The owner said he had just gotten a small, fresh supply of peppercorns after going mostly without them for about 6 months.

[jo-mel]

So happy you had a good experience! The more China46's reputation gets around, the better. I would hate to see it go thru a lean time and be in jeopardy.

Thanks for the peppercorn tip! (Wonder where he gets it??)

You went on a Monday, yet the food was great. I'd heard that you don't go to Chinatown on Mondays as that is the chefs night off. Maybe the chefs at C46 are all excellent cooks!

[snausages2000]

I'm not sure where the peppercorns came from. I didn't want to press him on it. Though, we did discuss that it's easier to get them in Canada, especially Vancouver.

I don't think the quality of food would have been particularly effected by which cook was in the house on Monday night. The centerpiece of our meal was Ruby Pork, which I think is prepared well in advance and then just heated for plating. Soup dumplings are probably made in advance as well.

(Is the tofu-wrapped flounder usually a smallish dish? There were about 10 chicken mcnugget sized pieces on our plate. Good, but I thought it'd be bigger.)

The place was completely empty. By 8:30 we were the only people in there. I know Mondays are the slowest restaurant night, but are they still doing good business?

What a bizarre location. I mentioned my meal to friends from Jersey and they were like 'Oh, that place?!' The dump by the motel?

Why don't they open a branch in the city? Manhattan responds to exceptional Chinese.

There's so little of it to be found.

Or, put one on Smith St. in Brooklyn, so I can eat it every night...

[tommy]

(Is the tofu-wrapped flounder usually a smallish dish? There were about 10 chicken mcnugget sized pieces on our plate. Good, but I thought it'd be bigger.)

had this tonite for the first time. thought it was very good. a lot of fun. not a lot of food, but that's just as well.

the sichuan peppercorns were alive and kicking in the ox tongue and tripe. more so than they have been in a long time.

[tommy]

cecil sometimes brings out little gifts for the table. they're always delicious and unique, and it's one of my favorite parts of the meal. it finally occured to me that perhaps these items are available, even though they're clearly not on the menu. the answer, i think, is sunday dim sum. at least that's what cecil suggested.

has anyone had dim sum at C46? sounds like it might be a good thing.

[Curlz]

I'm betting that at C46, it's a VERY good thing! Didn't realize they did dim sum...I think this might require a serious investigation.