Szechuan Gourmet

Thank you all for your recommendations. I used some of Kathryn's links which linked me to an interesting exchange with Berkeley Hounds going to NYC. In the exchange they mentioned China Village on Solano Ave in Berkeley as a reference point for great Szechuan food. I am a big fan of China Village myself so that got my attention immediately and I saw Kathryn's recommendation for Szechuan Gourmet...+READ Thank you all for your recommendations. I used some of Kathryn's links which linked me to an interesting exchange with Berkeley Hounds going to NYC. In the exchange they mentioned China Village on Solano Ave in Berkeley as a reference point for great Szechuan food. I am a big fan of China Village myself so that got my attention immediately and I saw Kathryn's recommendation for Szechuan Gourmet which is mere blocks away from where we are staying in Manhattan!! So of course we went there tonight for dinner!!

We loved it!! Thank you so much for the recommendation. While there were quite a number of same menu items on Szechuan Gourmet and China Village menus - as I was looking for new experiences - we tried dishes which are not ones which I have noticed on CV's menu (doesn't mean they are not on the menu as CV's menu is HUGE)...

Unfortunately my friend is not a great fan of "hot" food - so we were careful not to order any dish more than "2 peppers" on the menu which meant that I could NOT order the Ma Po tofu (4 peppers!!) which I would have loved to try. However, we ordered Dan Dan Noodles, Pan Seared Pork Dumplings (rather than the Szechuan style Dumplings) Shitake Mushrooms with Bok Choy (and Garlic) and Double Cooked Pork Belly with Leeks.

The food was wonderful and actually I think we ordered a selection which balanced each other quite well... Turns out that even two peppers was too much for my friend - which left me to eat the Dan Dan Noodles on my own (no problem for me!!). Even though I would have been happier having a somewhat "hotter" selection - I was actually delighted by our choices. The Pork Belly was luscious and very rich - I loved this dish but must admit felt quite guilty in my blatant disregard of my cholesterol numbers!! I loved it but probably would not order it very often!! The pork dumplings were delightfully delicious fabulous texture and flavor. The Baby Bok Choy was listed on the menu as either "with garlic" or "with Shitake Mushrooms" - we asked for it to be prepared with BOTH which was an excellent idea because the combination of the three was fabulous - and a great contrast of flavors against the Pork Belly.

Now on the Dan Dan Noodles - oddly I have never had this dish before though I gather from reading - it is quite common. I loved the sauce but I must say I was NOT in love with the texture of the noodles themselves. I really prefer very, very chewy noodles and these were not - they were kind of "spaghetti like" and not extremely "al dente". Was this a mistake on the part of the restaurant OR is this the way they are normally made? What are the noodles made of?

At CV we always order the Cold Noodles in Sesame Chili sauce and those noodles are fabulously FAT and CHEWY! Don't know enough about what kind of noodles they are but LOVE them....

Anyway, all in all LOVED SG and if I get a chance I may run over there for takeout "Ma PO Tofu" just to try it!

In the interests of full disclosure - I spent a few days visiting family in the New York area so I have already had my fill of New York pizza, bagels and deli in my hometown - which is why I am skipping over your thoughtful recommendations on those subjects.

BTW, I agree with you on John's Pizza - have had it before and its GREAT. Also, lived many years on East 21st Street and Ess-a-Bagel was on the corner - ate there many times a week - boy was I spoiled when I think how hard it is to get a decent bagel in the Bay Area!

I am going to pour through rest of your links and keep you posted with our experiences.

My friend wants to go to Momofuku Noodle Bar tomorrow - what are the MUST HAVE dishes???-COLLAPSE / REPLY (10 Replies) (by missdemo, created January 31, 2012)

Do the kids like Chinese food? Try Szechuan Gourmet. Their authentic Sichuan dishes are good (mapo tofu, cumin lamb, Dan Dan noodles, dumplings in chili soy). And less adventurous eaters can order Americanized Chinese standards (though they won't be nearly as good). REPLY (4 Replies) (by kathryn, created December 28, 2011)

»Szechuan Gourmet - Downhill alert?

I went to Szechuan Gourmet recently for a second consecutive disappointing meal. When my food came, i just thought to myself, "really?". I did not order any flagship spicy stuff - this time I got jingjiang rousi (pork in plum sauce?) and kungpao shrimp. The pork was unevenly cut up instead of the match stick style it should be. the sauce was watery and flavorless. The shrimp were ratty takeout...+READ I went to Szechuan Gourmet recently for a second consecutive disappointing meal. When my food came, i just thought to myself, "really?". I did not order any flagship spicy stuff - this time I got jingjiang rousi (pork in plum sauce?) and kungpao shrimp. The pork was unevenly cut up instead of the match stick style it should be. the sauce was watery and flavorless. The shrimp were ratty takeout chinese shrimp - not deveined. The time before this I went there I don't remember what I ordered but have noticed dishes that I've been ordering for years (like the two mentioned above) have been coming out noticeably more mediocre. Has anyone else noticed this as well?-COLLAPSE / REPLY (2 Replies) (by Renguin, created June 4, 2011)

Speaking as the Kung Pao snob to whom she refers in the post, I have to say, this was some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. The Kung Pao was authentic - which is next to impossible to find on the east coast: no added celery, carrots, green peppers, water chestnuts or other things that just don't belong in this dish. Everything we had was great - I actually enjoyed the pork belly, though...+READ Speaking as the Kung Pao snob to whom she refers in the post, I have to say, this was some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. The Kung Pao was authentic - which is next to impossible to find on the east coast: no added celery, carrots, green peppers, water chestnuts or other things that just don't belong in this dish. Everything we had was great - I actually enjoyed the pork belly, though would've liked it a little less "mushier" as well. Overall, the best Chinese food I've had, since moving here from CA in 2007.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (37 Replies) (by gh268, created August 8, 2010)

»Was surprised by authenticity and price considering location

Has pretty decent Sichuan dishes such as double cooked pork and beef tendon appetizer.
Spiciness has been altered down about 5-6 on a 10 scale. Authentic Sichuan is 7-9 IMO.

Lunch is inexpensive about $10, but their lunch service is very busy on the weekdays (almost always a wait)even for reservations. (by Jun Wong, created June 25, 2010)