On Location - Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Grand Sichuan House may be the only bastion of the cuisine in Brooklyn. Yes, there are probably countless joints with the word Szechuan in their name or on their menu. But they’re not numbing their customers with the cuisine’s namesake peppercorns. They’re not serving up ma po or chengdu or chong qing style preparations. Triple Delight, Sesame Beef, and Pork Lo Mein does not a Sichuan kitchen make.
Yet far out in Bay Ridge, removed from Brooklyn Chinatown's 8th avenue, removed from the sophisticated palates of the northern nabes, sits this new venerable eatery and when I’m visiting
home in Brooklyn, I’m there every chance I get to work my way through the menu. Lunch and dinner specials, served with fried rice and soup, feature mostly their mainstream Americanized fare. But I do find Ma Po Tofu on the list for $4.99, a benchmark dish for me. I ask for an authentic preparation, not wanting a dumbed down version; the menu offers to modify spices to suit tastes, but I want it tarted up, not down. I can notice the extra grinds of pepper on top. The sauce is a little thicker than I’m used to and the pepper is enough to make me tear. 
On another visit, the broth of a huge bowl of sour cabbage and bean curd soup ($3.95) is tart and addicting, and enough for several portions worth. Dan Dan Noodles ($3.95) are among the best I’ve had, specks of meat adding depth to the simple dish, the fiery broth attacking the tongue, just as with the wontons in red chili oil. The thin yellow wrappers of the Wontons w. Red Oil ($4.25) hold a tasty morsel of meat and the incendiary liquid evoking tears and a suitable numb tongue.
Quality of the entrees have ranged from suitable to well above average. When I try to order Smoked Tea Duck, I’m steered instead to Shredded Duck with Spring Ginger ($13.95)—the same duck but prepared with the ginger as a house specialty. A rich smoky flavor permeates the dark stringy strips of the bird, some lean, some with the fatty skin (a good thing) still clinging to the meat, though some shreds are a little hard to chew. The ginger and greens balance the dish well.
What’s more exquisite than the duck is the over-the-top garnish resting next to it on the plate. I’ve seen flowers or scorpions carved out of carrots before. But skewered into a half pumpkin is a veritable bouquet—a beet rose, a carrot tulip, a blossoming leek, a sprig of rosemary, and more—making the plate come alive and make me feel loved by the chef! Does this art come standard or is it the fact that despite living out of town, I’ve become one of their best customers?
Sauteed Pea Shoots w. Fresh Garlic ($10.95) are a great veggie balance to a Chinese meal, but not found on many menus.
The shoots are like spinach but with a long stalk and thinner leaves, and they're cooked perfectly here. A Beef and Turnip Hotpot ($9.50) shows up at the table still sizzling and the rich broth and root veggies make for a rib-sticking, soul-warming winter dish. But the beef can be a bit tough to chew, especially with several pieces still attached to strips of tendon. The meat of the Chong Qing Spicy Chicken ($10.95) is greasy and just doesn’t taste that fresh. Yet I’m eager to continue to sample the extensive special menu, laid out in pictures. Several enticing whole fish preparations are slightly more expensive than the rest of the menu at $16.95. I’d be more enticed to try one if a fish tank were visible in the dining room, but the waitress recommends several options. 
I’ve never seen loofa on a menu, but the Sauteed Sponge Gourd ($8.95) looked delicious on another diners table, part slimy, part avocado.
I just hope I get a chance to try more and continue my patronage. The restaurant has been entirely or mostly empty upon each of my visits and they don’t seem to be making up for it in significant takeout or delivery sales. This wasn’t surprising for my Christmas Eve Chinese meal, but their slow business on a Friday night was disheartening. Perhaps they can get by selling the standard Americanized fare. But I’m not sure that Bay Ridge is the best market for the unique menu they’re offering. Much cheaper to open up shop on 5th Ave and 87th St than 7th Avenue in Park Slope, but I’d venture that there’s more diners and dollars there that are willing and eager to try this ‘new’ type of Chinese food.
Yet far out in Bay Ridge, removed from Brooklyn Chinatown's 8th avenue, removed from the sophisticated palates of the northern nabes, sits this new venerable eatery and when I’m visiting
home in Brooklyn, I’m there every chance I get to work my way through the menu. Lunch and dinner specials, served with fried rice and soup, feature mostly their mainstream Americanized fare. But I do find Ma Po Tofu on the list for $4.99, a benchmark dish for me. I ask for an authentic preparation, not wanting a dumbed down version; the menu offers to modify spices to suit tastes, but I want it tarted up, not down. I can notice the extra grinds of pepper on top. The sauce is a little thicker than I’m used to and the pepper is enough to make me tear. 
On another visit, the broth of a huge bowl of sour cabbage and bean curd soup ($3.95) is tart and addicting, and enough for several portions worth. Dan Dan Noodles ($3.95) are among the best I’ve had, specks of meat adding depth to the simple dish, the fiery broth attacking the tongue, just as with the wontons in red chili oil. The thin yellow wrappers of the Wontons w. Red Oil ($4.25) hold a tasty morsel of meat and the incendiary liquid evoking tears and a suitable numb tongue.Quality of the entrees have ranged from suitable to well above average. When I try to order Smoked Tea Duck, I’m steered instead to Shredded Duck with Spring Ginger ($13.95)—the same duck but prepared with the ginger as a house specialty. A rich smoky flavor permeates the dark stringy strips of the bird, some lean, some with the fatty skin (a good thing) still clinging to the meat, though some shreds are a little hard to chew. The ginger and greens balance the dish well.
What’s more exquisite than the duck is the over-the-top garnish resting next to it on the plate. I’ve seen flowers or scorpions carved out of carrots before. But skewered into a half pumpkin is a veritable bouquet—a beet rose, a carrot tulip, a blossoming leek, a sprig of rosemary, and more—making the plate come alive and make me feel loved by the chef! Does this art come standard or is it the fact that despite living out of town, I’ve become one of their best customers?Sauteed Pea Shoots w. Fresh Garlic ($10.95) are a great veggie balance to a Chinese meal, but not found on many menus.
The shoots are like spinach but with a long stalk and thinner leaves, and they're cooked perfectly here. A Beef and Turnip Hotpot ($9.50) shows up at the table still sizzling and the rich broth and root veggies make for a rib-sticking, soul-warming winter dish. But the beef can be a bit tough to chew, especially with several pieces still attached to strips of tendon. The meat of the Chong Qing Spicy Chicken ($10.95) is greasy and just doesn’t taste that fresh. Yet I’m eager to continue to sample the extensive special menu, laid out in pictures. Several enticing whole fish preparations are slightly more expensive than the rest of the menu at $16.95. I’d be more enticed to try one if a fish tank were visible in the dining room, but the waitress recommends several options. 
I’ve never seen loofa on a menu, but the Sauteed Sponge Gourd ($8.95) looked delicious on another diners table, part slimy, part avocado.I just hope I get a chance to try more and continue my patronage. The restaurant has been entirely or mostly empty upon each of my visits and they don’t seem to be making up for it in significant takeout or delivery sales. This wasn’t surprising for my Christmas Eve Chinese meal, but their slow business on a Friday night was disheartening. Perhaps they can get by selling the standard Americanized fare. But I’m not sure that Bay Ridge is the best market for the unique menu they’re offering. Much cheaper to open up shop on 5th Ave and 87th St than 7th Avenue in Park Slope, but I’d venture that there’s more diners and dollars there that are willing and eager to try this ‘new’ type of Chinese food.
Grand Sichuan has a small sushi bar, and the sushi dinner we tried was okay. But I’d always advise saving sushi ordering for a place that specializes in the stuff and sells in high volume. GSH does not, and you’re here for Sichian anyway! Yet the sushi panders to a diner who wants only what they know—sushi, General Tso’s, beef with broccoli—but is unwilling to explore the strengths of the restaurant. And after one local resident leaves to pickup his order, the always friendly waitress tells me he orders the same thing every time: crispy fried pig intestines. Maybe there is hope! And with the closest Sichuan presumably in Flushing, perhaps this humble eatery can draw adventure seekers from the rest of the borough.
Grand Sichuan House
8701 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718)-680-8887
3 comments:
Yummy! And beautiful! I'm sending this to friends in B'lyn. It's too good not to pass on. When do we get more DC reviews?
Yeah, my posts have been pretty travel heavy! I've been out of town more than I've been in (and more likely to eat out somewhere cool when I'm traveling). There's a fish post from today from your neck of the woods, though good luck eating vegetarian at Horace & Dickie's! Guess you could try the collard greens.
Loved the review and the pictures! Having been there, I can vouch that the food is exquisite...it even makes for great lunch leftovers for days to come!!!
Post a Comment