"Its Chong Qing chicken, which weaponizes capsaicin in just about every known form and should not be faced without a full glass of water or beer at hand, is proof of that". neither beer nor water will relivee the 'pain from capsaicin (the chemical in chili peppers that causes the 'heat' sensation. what one should use is a high fat content product such as milk or cream cheese or yoghurt (in indian restaurants, they serve raita which cools off the heat from vindaloo).
The plum juice served at Chengdu Taste, a Sichuan restaurant in Alhambra, CA, offers a superb alternative to water for lessening the pain of its fabulous cooking.
Eight or nine years ago, when I first moved to Queens, I heard great things about a Sichuan restaurant called Little Pepper and decided to call them for a takeout order. The woman who picked up the phone screamed "No English!" and hung up. I tried again to make sure I hadn't misunderstood. I never went back, and to this day enjoy Sichuan food in the neighborhood from Spicy & Tasty and other friendly spots.
I know we live in a wonderful multiethnic metropolis, and enjoying a diversity of food is a chief benefit of that, but for Pete's sake every restaurant and service business should speak a little bit of English if they have any interest in serving the larger community.
I know we live in a wonderful multiethnic metropolis, and enjoying a diversity of food is a chief benefit of that, but for Pete's sake every restaurant and service business should speak a little bit of English if they have any interest in serving the larger community.
5
All the best to # Little Pepper,
kitchen better be ready tonite!!! packed house for sure.
I NEED the recipes.
2
Another Pete Wells gem that makes me long for the NYCity life I left behind... Sigh
6
Little Pepper is an excellent restaurant, I have eaten there many times and especially like the tendon in chili sauce and the cumin lamb. The staff are incredibly friendly. Well worth the trip to College Point.
4
I approve giving two stars to a place nowhere near the subway where they can't speak English and therefore don't know what "artisanal" or "deconstructed" means (not to mention "gluten-free.") I also like that the number of dollar signs does not exceed the number of stars. More of this, please.
14
It's great to see Little Pepper get reviewed! I've been coming here ever since I moved to Flushing ~9 years ago; it broke my heart when they moved to College Point, as I don't own a car and it made my trips far less frequent.
Though there are a lot of very decent Sichuan restaurants in Flushing, Little Pepper has, in my opinion, a few bests: best mabo dofu (by a significant margin), best cumin lamb (again, by a longshot), best spicy cold noodles. Though my tendency is to stick to a few tried-and-true favorites, this review reminds me that the next time I'm there, I should check out some of the less familiar ones and see how the experience goes. Truth be told, Little Pepper isn't often one to disappoint.
Though there are a lot of very decent Sichuan restaurants in Flushing, Little Pepper has, in my opinion, a few bests: best mabo dofu (by a significant margin), best cumin lamb (again, by a longshot), best spicy cold noodles. Though my tendency is to stick to a few tried-and-true favorites, this review reminds me that the next time I'm there, I should check out some of the less familiar ones and see how the experience goes. Truth be told, Little Pepper isn't often one to disappoint.
4
This place sounds wonderful. My mouth is watering just reading the review!
5
What a delightfully food-loving, lyrical review. Transporting! I wish I were at the restaurant right now. Yum!
8
The NYT food critic may be one of the last few institutionalized strongholds of egalitarianism in this country. It's reassuring that casual restaurants like this can merit laudable star-ratings akin to food destination meccas, despite not being labeled "fine dining," per se (see what I did there).
27
Sounds like a dream come true for a spice-loving vegan, but it will have to wait until the weather allows a long walk from the 7 Train.
It's great to see the Times mixing in neighborhood joints with the usual hoity-toity French/Italian dress-and-tie Manhattan $$$$ restaurants.
It's great to see the Times mixing in neighborhood joints with the usual hoity-toity French/Italian dress-and-tie Manhattan $$$$ restaurants.
10
It would be a very long walk. Take the northbound Q20 bus instead, a free transfer from the subway with your MetroCard.
4
Amazing place, one of the many reasons to love New York, and a great example of why we're in a culinary golden era.
6
For me , a girl who was born in Sichuan, Little pepper is my favorite restaurant. Undoubtedly, it is better than any other Sichuan restaurant in Flushing. Chicken in Chongqing style is so tasty that I am almost addicted to it. Besides it , the dessert in this restaurant also impressed me. The Pinyin name of the desert is JIUNIANG TANGYUAN--the sticky rice balls coming with rice wine.
Can't wait to go now,Lol
Can't wait to go now,Lol
7
I suggest you try the very recently opened Szechuan Mountain House in the new Hyatt center in Flushing. I think it snatches the throne of best New York Sichuan restaurant.
Agreed. Been going here before they moved and it was a 15 minute walk from the Flushing 7. Sietsema led me there and I still follow his word probably more than any other when dining out in NYC. Amazing food
4
Little Pepper is great! I'm so glad that it received this much-deserved review.
4
One other thought. There's a very good Sichuan restaurant in midtown that deserves a review. Land of Plenty. It's significantly better than the 2 starred Cafe China.
http://www.landofplenty58.com/
http://www.landofplenty58.com/
2
Nice that Mr. Wells got there and I think his review was generous and accurate. My only mild criticism is that it took him a *long* time to get around to visiting.
4
Yes. "Of course."