Spicy and Tasty

At some point last year I was concerned that I was eating too much Japanese food and thought of dropping it cold turkey in place of another cuisine. Luckily, I came to my senses and did nothing of the sort. Still, I didn't want to limit myself.

Some months later, it's dawned on me that Chinese food, with its various regional cuisines, is a nice tangent. A nearby take-out restaurant's tasty dishes has turned into a veritable fifth food group for me. I get some additional pre-meal entertainment by watching the cooks manipulate the woks and tools as if they were extensions of their bodies. I'm convinced there's no task too difficult for a long-armed soup ladle.

It's unfair, of course, to limit an exploration of Chinese food to just the local take-out. Other mandatory explorations have taken me to the Peking Duck House and Joe's Shanghai, both in Chinatown. I'd like to go over to the "new" Chinatown around Sunset Park/Bay Ridge, but I don't think I'm ready to graduate to that level. I've been eyeing the series of NYT Chinese restaurants reviews in recent weeks, desparately trying to carve out some time in my schedule to visit one. I got my chance this weekend.

Prince Street in Flushing is one block east of Main Street, a stone's throw away from an entrance to the 7 train. The entire block is devoted to sparkling new restaurants, all of an Asian bent with crowds in front of each.

We weren't the only NYT review-clutching couples present. We may have looked out of place, but Asimov's review was on the money. Read that if you want the mouth watering descriptions. Below is what we had:

Spicy rabbit appetizer: as per the review. The heat is definitely numbing and quite different from the sting of a Mexican chile. I really felt like I was on a alternate level of consciousness. Sort of like having a blazing fever, without the debilitating side effects. Be prepared for a lot of little bones. While slightly inconvenient, taking the time to pick out the bones paces your consumption of the dish to prevent you from overdosing on the peppers too quickly. At times the heat was too much and I had to take a break from the dish, but I kept going back for more.

West lake soup: Mark Bittman had a recipe for this a few weeks ago and I thought it would be a good idea to try it first before making it. Think egg drop soup in a beef stock with lots and lots of cilantro. It's not for everbody, though I did like it. A word to the wise - this soup is big enough to serve six to eight. No wonder why the waitress looked at me funny when I asked for it. I thought she said small bowls. Small bowls!

Chinese vegetables with mushrooms: One thing you learn about most New York Chinese restaurants - asking "what's good?" is often a futile question. This dish of some sort of steamed choy with black mushrooms, recommended by our waitress, was a solid performer and a good value, but not stellar.

Fried rice: Chinese long grain white rice really doesn't do it for me. Might as well go with the fried rice - which was quite flavorful and not oily at all. It was the perfect accompaniment to the main course...

Tea smoked duck: As you might expect, it's very different than duck dishes you find at most restaurants. First, the cuts of meat are insanely large in comparison to most duck you get. There's less fear about chomping down on a sharp bone shard. The meat is slightly dry, but not unpleasantly so, and the smoked flavor is delicate. As duck goes, it's about as satisfying as sinking your teeth into a thick steak.

The other thing you learn about Chinese restaurants - the names of the dishes are never descriptive enough. The list of cold appetizers and Sichuan specialties is long, the names short yet intriguing. What delights await in the other plaintively named dishes? Duck tongue, anyone?