Gem Cuisines of China - "Don't Miss"?

[roxlet]

Gem Cuisines was given a "Don't Miss" review by the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/nyr...

Anyone been recently? Anyone concur?

[JMF]

I think the place is trying to be a modern, Americanized Chinese. I didn't think it can even come close to some of the authentic places in Flushing. I've been to China, and eaten in some of the modern Chinese places, as well as ones with a history of excellence. Gem is plastic costume jewelry, and not even a diamond in the rough.

[chowdom]

Thank you JMF. In regards to the direction Chinese food is going in, I hope this is not a sign of things to come in Westchester.

[rgny]

Sweet gloppy Asian Fusion places are already killing off Chinese food in this area. I've been to Sichuan Province twice (and also frequent the Flushing places), and I have found that I can nudge the better Chinese-American takeout places into a halfway decent mapo tofus - if I tell them I've been to Chengdu and want the real thing. Not so with the Asian-Fusion joints, which do the worst fake Sichuan around.
I realize Gem Cuisines is not Asian-Fusion, but I still fear for what is becoming of Chinese food in this area. The trajectory is in the wrong directino

[kdgchow]

That would be a shame. In its previous incarnation, I thought Hunan Village did a real good job of haute-style Chinese, similar to NYC's Shun Lee Palace back in its heyday. Was it like the authentic, regional places in Chinatown or Flushing? No, but it wasn't the sweet, gloppy Chinese-American stuff you get almost everywhere.

Then again, I've heard Shun Lee is a shadow of its former self, too.

[ronhall51]

boy thats a tough one,only answer i can give is when there good their very good.When there bad there pretty bad.Either way their always expensive so its a little risky.Im sure if you did a search you would find that paul is back he was the reason the old hunan place was a notch above.Again
i dont want to say its bad because its not cant miss????? Maybe for westchester but be a run of the mill joint in new york city

[RawTunaFan]

I agree with you, ronhall. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like the dishes that aren't "bludgeoned with cornstarch" are missing exactly that. I find a lot of their dishes to be too light, almost brothy -- I want a sauce thats going to stick my my rice, and to my ribs. Some of the dishes are just horrible, while a few others aren't bad -- not out of this world.

As someone who frequents Chinatown on a weekly basis, and is a big noodle freak, I found their noodle dishes to be entirely lacking. I was expecting a more authentic, noodle-town or Wonton Garden like Lo Mein, now that was over starchy, with thick clumpy noodles and predictable, almost something you would get from a food court.

The soups were pretty good, not knock your socks off, but not bad. The soup dumplings were a huge disappointment, on two occasions, the meat inside were raw, pink raw. They were kind enough to replace them and when I told them the second batch was still raw, he offered to take it off the bill (how nice) and apologized saying that "the machine was broken."

I think I will stick to Aberdeen when I can't get to the city or flushing for Chinese food. You can definitely miss this place.

[chowdom]

If the machine is broken then it has been since day one. I posted a review shortly after they opened, the order of soup dumplings I had were raw as well and oozing pink.

[roxlet]

Yes, I saw that review, chowdom, but I was hoping (against hope, it seems) that the food had improved.

[chowdom]

Well RTF's experience sounds alot like the one I had, although I found the soups to be tasteless and gloopy as well. Maybe I don't understand what they are going for there. The food is nothing like any I have had in Chinatown in NYC or Flushing which I find to be very flavorful, highly spiced and exciting. It was bland and fussy and I just didn't like it.