Szechaun Chalet
1395 Second
Ave.
(Corner of 73rd St.)
New York,
NY 10022
(212)-737-1838
www.szechuanchaletnyc.com
Usually, when you think of inexpensive Chinese food, you think of your local, mangy Chinese take-out place with plastic pictures of their food decorating the walls and all their dishes served with a mounting dollop of MSG; Schezuan Chalet is nowhere near that. Schezuan Chalet offers real Sichuan flavor and inexpensive food, with a more sophisticated décor and much friendlier service.
Although Schezuan Chalet's menu is similar is length to those of your local, cheap Chinese take-out places, their ingredients, flavors, and cooking style are nowhere close. The Sichuan pork dumplings are cooked till al dente and topped with a rich and savory roasted red oil sauce ($4) and make a perfect appetizer.
Braised flounder fillets with Napa cabbage in a chili oil sauce ($17.95) are perfectly seasoned with vibrant, but not overpowering, spices, not to mention eminently tender. For a side dish, order their salted vegetables, which include broccoli stems, carrots, and cabbage, in a spicy Sichuan sauce ($5.95), guaranteed to compliment your meal.
Indubitably their most visually appealing dish, the Razor
clams with scallion pesto ($15.95) is also a taste bud pleasing dish. The dish
is constructed in the shape of a peacock; the peacock is carved from a daikon
radish and a carrot combs tops the head. The clams are situated behind the body
of the peacock and are served in a pesto sauce made from scallions, chilies,
and Sichuan
peppercorns.
Szechuan Chalet offers quite a variety of dishes-from beef to chicken to lobster, lo mein and noodles, and even the chef specials. Walking away from Szechuan Chalet you have not only satisfied your Chinese food craving, but have done so with a bit more sophistication, and less grease.
