| Staff:
Karen Karp
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Recommendation:
Grand Sichuan Eastern
1049 Second Avenue
between 55th and 56th Streets
(212) 420-6517
Type of Food: Chinese with a specialization in
the “new” Sichuan cuisine
Favorite Menu Items:
Chengdu Spicy Dumplings, Chong Qing Spicy and Aromatic Soft Shell
Crabs,Chengdu Happy Peasant Family Whole Fish, Bean Curd Flower
Family Style, Gui Zhou Spicy Chicken, Pea Shoot Soup Dumpling,Sauteed
Diced Lotus Roots with Spicy Black Bean Sauce,Sour String Beans
with Minced Pork, Spicy Pepper with HunanBlack Beans.
What kind of occasion would you recommend this restaurant
for?
This restaurant is very casual and small. It is popular at lunch
with neighborhood residents and business people. At dinner, it attracts
serious Chinese foodies. Despite its low-key atmosphere, I often
see people in large groups, some getting together for a special
occasion.
How would you describe the atmosphere of this restaurant?
Casual. All about the food and the fun of eating with others. Service
is generally pretty friendly and helpful, particularly if you show
a keen interest in the variety of the foods available.
In general what else do you like about this restaurant?
This Grand Sichuan has attracted, from all across the city, devotees
of authentic Chinese food. It is one of the few Chinese restaurants
in the city that lures a Pan-Asian crowd, basically anyone interested
in the wonderful tingling of Sichuan peppercorns and perfume of
red and green chilies.
How did you come across this restaurant?
I must admit that I read about it first in Eric Asimov’s $25
and Under column in The New York Times in May 2003. I had
previously patronized the Grand Sichuan in Chelsea.
You don’t have to like “hot and spicy” food to
enjoy the talents of the Grand Sichuan chefs. They offer an encyclopedic
array of Chinese food, from Hunan (“Mao’s Home Cooking”)
to American Chinese cuisine to Cantonese, though clearly authentic
Sichuan cooking is their point of difference. Many of their Sichuan
specialties are unlike what most Americans have ever eaten. I know
of no other place in Manhattan that serves Bean Curd Flower. Don’t
ask, just try! I’m always thinking of the next time I can
visit Grand Sichuan.
Past Staff Picks:
Shalini Mimani, Grant Writer and India Fund Manager
The
Kati Roll Company (Indian Wraps)
Sue Lin Contributor, Asiafood.org
Olieng Thai Cuisine (Thai)
Cindy Yoon Director, Asia Society Online
Mie Japanese Restaurant (Japanese)
Niki Haas Merchandise Coordinator, AsiaStore
Nha Trang Centre (Vietnamese)
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Find out about the favorite New York restaurants of the staff at the Asia Society and Museum, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and the Pacific. Check back every month for a new staff pick, and let their food discoveries in New York inspire you to try a new restaurant! Look out for the purple symbol in the restaurant listings indicating it's an Asia Society Staff Pick!
