Good Chinese 1st, 2nd or 3rd Ave. 14th - 60th?

[Stuartmc910]

I will be visiting my wife in The hospital for Joint Diseases from Wed. - Sat. or Sun. After I will walk up one of those Avenues to the Roosevelt Island tram and would like to have a nice Chinese meal along the way. Grand Sichun on 2nd and 56th I am familiar with. The resturant can be Cantonese, Sichun, or Hunan, or anything as long as it's good and "A" rated.

TIA

[buttertart]

Another excellent lunch at the Great Sichuan today -- pickled veg (in wickedly hot hot oil), fried beef dumplings (filling flavored with scallions, a nice change, western Chinese style), the shrimp with dry-fried green beans we had the last time, what we expected to be shredded lamb with green chilis and cilantro but was sliced lamb with red peppers and cilantro, very savory but neither of us is fond of red peppers, and an absolutely stunning, breathtakingly delicious chicken dish from the chef's speciaties, diced chicken with Sichuan peppercorn and green chili (the Chinese name is Sichuan fengwei chicken, Sichuan flavors chicken). Get this dish. It is killer.

[Motosport]

Phoenix Garden on 40th St is excellent. I think it is cash only and BYOB
Mapo Tofu and Hunan Manor across the street on Lexington and 40th are 2 of our favorites
If you like Thai there is Jaiya on 3rd Ave near 29th

[buttertart]

From last Saturday's Great Sichuan on 3rd and 26th -- all except the pickle and the soup from their New Year's menu...Sichuan pickle (with hot oil, I wish they wouldn't do that), chile chicken (lazi ji ding-ish, photo is blurry from the steam coming off it), shrimp with vegetable (dry-fried green beans, the menu photo looked as if there were different veg, but I'm always happy to eat these beans), lotus root in a sweet sauce with tobiko (a duo zi symbolic dish, I expect, fun to eat and a good foil for the hot stuff), and the stellar beef noodle soup. No holds barred hot, btw.

[scoopG]

Would you call this a destination chow-worthy Chinese spot then?

[buttertart]

I would say so, based on this limited sampling.

[squid kun]

Some earlier reports ... http://www.chow.com/digest/53409/fres...

[RCC]

Phoenix Garden on 40th between 2nd and 3rd for good Cantonese.

[bmoskowitz]

Agree that Phoenix Garden is awesome--best Chinese in that area by far.

[princeofpork3]

Sichuan Gormet on 3rd and 22

[kathryn]

Did you mean Great Sichuan on 3rd and 26th?

Or maybe Grand Sichuan on 33rd and Lexington.

Sichuan Gourmet has two locations: 39th between 5th and 6th... or 56th and 8th?

[scoopG]

Szechuan Gourmet is expanding! They have taken over the former Szechuan Chalet at 1395 Second Ave - between 72nd and 73rd.

[buttertart]

We had terrific food at the Great Sichuan on 3rd and 26th last Saturday. Have oics, must post. Their braised beef noodle soup was fantastic.
Great news about SG expanding, hope the quality is at the 39th St stand level (not nuts about 56th).

[scoopG]

Certainly I thought the food was better. The old Szechuan Chalet had a good dozen Sichuan dishes mixed among the usual American-Chinese chestnuts.

[buttertart]

As good as 39th? That would be a terrific asset to the Metropolitan Museum-bound.

[scoopG]

Well it is not that close to the Met (14 some blocks) but they were using the SG menu! I only had a few dishes but it was an improvement over SC!

[peter j]

Peking Duck House on 53rd between 2nd and 3rd for peking duck.

A bit west of 3rd Ave., Cafe China on 13 E. 37th St, is supposed to be good for Sichuan but I have not been there yet.

[Stuartmc910]

Thanks. I'll try the Peking Duck House one night. Cafe China another.

I appreciate your responding.