Grand Sichuan International Midtown

For a large staff meal at the office, soup dumplings would not survive the trip, and dishes such as stir-fried sea eel would likely be too adventurous even for visiting editors looking for "better Chinese food than we can get in Boston." Among the dishes I did order and that won special praise was an appetizer of "green parrot with a red mouth" (cold spinach with chili oil; top photo; $5.95).

Favored entrées included braised beef fillets with chili sauce ($10.95), smoked tea duck ($15.95), Shanghai-style red cooking fish filet (middle photo; $15.95), sauteed Shanghai bok choy ($7.95), and from the "Mao's home cooking" section of the menu, cured pork with garlic shoots (bottom photo; $9.95). As cold leftovers, the vinegary character of the spinach and the smokiness of the duck were accentuated, and the fatty pork with garlic shoots made for an especially nice breakfast.

My friend John often observed that if a restaurant proclaims skill in Chinese cuisine from more than one region — in Manhattan, that's generally Hunan, Canton, and Sichuan — then likely it does nothing well. The Grand Sichuan chain is a rare exception to that rule of thumb.

Grand Sichuan International Midtown
745 Ninth Ave. (50th-51st Sts.)
(one of several locations)
212-582-2288