Westchester, near New Rochelle, excellent Chinese Take-out?

[smilingal]

Looking to make a large party with great Chinese Take-out. Not very familiar with the areas. Family in New Rochelle. Please advise of terrific food!

[smilingal]

Thanks all for your help - party was a huge success. Food was delivered by Jade Spoon - they were most delightful to deal with - Audrey and her husband Ricky - and the food was great!

The nicest thing was that we received a phone call at the end of the night to ask if we were pleased. Talk about great customer service! A far cry from Hunan III - just their service made me do an about face!

[smilingal]

We tried Hunan III last night - very good - wish they weren't the only choice at this point as they made me feel that I didn't want to give them the business! Also, portions seemed smaller than we are accustomed to.
Wanted to try Jade Spoon as well but they were still closed from the power outage. Wondering if they would be a better choice?

[JMF]

You mean Hunan III in Bronxville? I used to like them but feel that the quality has dropped suddenly. Went last week and had some horrible items, and smaller servings.

There's a new Chinese place in Bronxville called Asian Wind on Palmer Rd across from the hospital. Where Calnin's and then Onn's were. It's supposed to be very good.

[EIF1lady]

Oriental Diner in Hawthorne across from the Hawthorne Multiplex is rarely mentioned. I find the Chinese food good, though not always consistent. It is very convenient after or before the movies, though not in the New Rochelle vicinity.

[lemarais]

Is China White still going strong in Purchase? With those exorbitant prices?

[MRS]

take in tonight was fair at best...definitely not as good as once before. I used to be a defender when ppl would attack on the boards b/c of the high prices, but I enjoyed the food. Tonight we picked up and for $89, it should have exceedingly better than it was. :(

[smilingal]

Thanks - party is coming up - going to Westchester to try a couple of places hopefully tonight.
If anyone sees this and has something to add - it is greatly appreciated.

[chowdom]

http://www.lumyen.com/Lum_Yen/About.html would be my pick

[moron66]

lum yen is the best sit down and take out

[decayny]

I have had mixed experiences at Lum Yen. I wish it was great all the time, 'cause it's so close, but the quality is uneven. Seems to be better for dinner rather than lunch.

[smilingal]

I guess I should say that I am looking for great tasting but standard chinese selections - for a party for someone who loves the chinese buffets but likes quality food - I know - but in any event, the menu will be egg rolls, spare ribs, fried rice, dumplings, one or two chicken dish, a beef dish, lo-mein and that sort. There will be about 40 people and I am setting this up at a home, as a buffet.

Hope I get some clearer directions on a place - I am really getting anxious!

[valerie]

You've gotten several suggestions here...Jade Spoon, Chop Stix, Seven Woks would be my picks. I happen to like Haiku but not for chinese food and not for what kind of meal you are looking for.

[Kalee]

I'm sorry. I didn't see this until now, and I'm sure you've alreayd had your party, but for future reference, I actually like Little Kitchen in Mamaroneck. With the caveat that I haven't had it in about a year and a half. It's a bit more expensive (not much), and the portions a bit smaller, but everything I've had from there has tasted really good.

[lemarais]

"Great Chinese Take Out"?? Doen't exist. Takeout places are greasy, use cheap ingredients, and their popular items are egg rolls, spare ribs and fried rice, so they don't do any real Chinese dishes either.

For some excellent, fresh, Asian dishes with some authenticity, high quality ingredients and professional chefs cooking them, try Haiku in Mamaroneck (3 other locations too). A branch of the original in Bronxville, the dishes here are all excellent. No fried rice or egg foo young though. About 50 notches above any takeout Chinese place.

In addition to Haiku, another good option is Penang in nearby Greenwich, CT. (About 10 min from New Rochelle)

[Jim Leff]

------------
"Great Chinese Take Out"?? Doen't exist. Takeout places are greasy, use cheap ingredients, and their popular items are egg rolls, spare ribs and fried rice, so they don't do any real Chinese dishes either."
------------

Great hamburgers don't exist. They're greasy pucks of frozen cheap meat cooked by uncaring minimal wage workers according to rote formulas.

Great pizza doesn't exist. It's made on an assembly line basis, with tasteless dough, canned sauce, and insipid cheese.

I could go on, but you get the idea. You are describing BAD Chinese-American food....and deeming it bad. That's circular. There are ALSO Chinese-American places that use good ingredients and don't cook greasy, and their stuff is delicious. That's also circular: delicious is delicious.

Those places are harder to find, so you must search, because, inevitably, "lousy" dominates, as it does in most realms. By banding together, we can catalog the outliers and hold-outs who cook with skill and pride. That's the exact mission of this very site, so it's sharply inappropriate to suggest that people stop searching because you yourself have never gone to the trouble.

Also, fried rice is as authentic a Chinese dish as you could possibly ask for.

And Chinese-American dishes like egg rolls and spare ribs and such have been quite "real" for over half a century. It's a distinct cuisine, not trying to be any other cuisine. Like any foodway, it's delicious when cooked with skill and pride. Same for Korean-Chinese and Indian-Chinese, both distinct cuisines that are awesome when done right.

[kdgchow]

An example of Chinese-American done well, as other CHers have pointed out in this thread: Bao's in White Plains. Probably helps that they share a mall with the Kam Sen food market.

[smilingal]

PLEASE - chime in when you can! I have to go on a tasting - party date is drawing near - and I don't know what to do!

[byramgirl]

After reading about Sichuan Pavilion in Port Chester on Small Bites, I tried it for the first time. I've driven by it a million times and never noticed it. What a gem. My friend and I shared the pork pot stickers, sesame chicken and steak kew - nothing exotic, but excellent, excellent quality. Decor is nothing to write home about, but the food sure is. Service was excellent, too.

This may be further than you want to travel, but well worth it.

This quote from Small Bites sums it up for me: "Sichuan Pavilion: A quality-minded Chinese restaurant near the Port Chester-Rye Brook line. Once you’re in on this secret, you might wish you’d known earlier."

[decayny]

Hmmm, didn't know about Sichuan Pavilion, will need to check that out, thanks!

[MRS]

great to know!!! any chance they deliver????

[smilingal]

Any one know of East Haven in Yonkers?

[chowdom]

Do you mean East Harbour by any chance? If so it was very good at one time, last time I was there it had changed hands and it was horrible. That was over a year + ago.

[smilingal]

yes - I don't know how I made that mistake - East Harbor - Zagats gave it a favorable rating - but I value my CH peeps more!

[cloverose]

I happen to think that Red Ruby on North Ave NewRo (near Iona -- a door or two down from Dunkin Donuts) is as good as I've found in the area for take out. I love their big shrimp!! Wherever you end up, you'd probably want to sample a few dishes first....

[addictedtolunch]

Jade Spoon on Weaver St. All fresh, though slightly fusion-y.

[raider]

plus one for jade spoon

[Maryld]

Is Jade Spoon in the Golden Horseshoe mall?

[addictedtolunch]

No, little strip mall on Weaver.

[scarsdalesurprise]

I think the best traditional take out near New Rochelle is Chop Stix on Garth Road in Eastchester/Scarsdale.

[valerie]

We like Chop Stix and also Seven Woks in the Golden Horseshoe. Keep meaning to try Jade Spoon, but always forget.

[mrsdebdav]

Jade Spoon started by Audrey and her husband, who were part of the original ownership of Chop Stix. I liked them both, but have moved on to Bao in White Plains and SEA on Garth.

[valerie]

We were very regular customer at Bao for the first 2 years that we lived in the area (my husband literally would go pick up take out for us almost every Sunday night). Then the portions started becoming skimpy and when my husband questioned them on it, the person (owner? manager?) called him a liar...and used the word liar. Needless to say, that was the last time we ate there.

[mrsdebdav]

Totally agree about the rudeness, which is why, when I order food for delivery from Bao, I now do so online. Could not take being put on hold constantly while trying to order. Wound up aggravated instead of hungry!
Have not noticed difference in portion size over time, but I only order vegetarian, so maybe those dishes have not been downsized.

[Jim Leff]

There's no "great" Chinese anywhere near there. Go north to White Plains, and order Cantonese from Aberdeen, Sichuan from Imperial Wok, or fusiony/noodly at Noodle+.

[smilingal]

thanks - I will look into these recs - I am looking for more traditional Chinese take-out - wishing to recreate a Chinese buffet at home for a party for about 30+ people.