Lan Sheng Szechuan Restaurant

...is located at 60 W. 39th Street near NYC's Bryant Park. This new Szechuan restaurant is known for it's Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork Chili Vinagrette ($5.50). Although this is a hot appetizer it is more than enough for lunch. And it's spicy, but a little oily (don't wear a white shirt if you plan to order this!).

Jardin de China

This translates to Garden of China. This no frills 39 year old Chinese Spanish restaurant is located in NYC's borough of Queens at 37-37 Junction Blvd. in the bustling shopping district of Corona.

You are a little disoriented when you are greeted in Spanish by the Chinese staff. The extensive menu is in both English and Spanish. They serve standard Americanized Chinese fare and array of Spanish food.

The clientele is predominantly Hispanic which reflects the neighborhood. Each table is given a basket of fresh french bread and butter.

I had my usual Bistec Palomilla which is flattened beef, fried with onions and served with fried ripened plaintains with your choice of rice and beans or white rice with red or black beans. I chose the latter. For $9.95 this is a hearty meal.

Then I topped it off with housemade flan de caramel.

Foodie Flicks

Dim Sum A Little Bit of Happiness

This small indie film is another of my favs as is dim sum!

Foodie Flicks

Eat Drink Man Woman

This was one of the first films I saw that used food as an integral, yet subtle part of the plot. Don't watch this movie on an empty stomach!

New East

In NYC's Flushing there are a multitude of Chinese restaurants. New East Cuisine Manor is located at 37-02 Main Street on the 2nd floor. The front room is a regular restaurant and the back room is reserved for weddings and on off nights - karaoke and dancing for not so hip middle age folks.

The have a very reasonable "special" menu where all dishes are $4.40-$8.00, but you have to either speak or read Mandarin. Otherwise you are out of luck and have to order of the regular English menu.

We ordered 3 dishes from the special menu: maopo tofu (spicy diced tofu with minced pork) $4.40, chicken and string beans $4.40 and sliced pork and yam $6.00.

And 2 dishes from the regular menu: pan fried flounder $19.95 and sauteed snow peas leaves $16.95.

Complimentary dessert was sliced orange and a sweet bean soup.

All of the food was good, but service was lackadasical. Also, beware - they automatically include a 15% gratituity with the sales tax. If you don't look carefully at the bill you might not notice this and tip them twice.