"The word Hunan on a restaurant’s front window tends to say as much about the actual cooking inside as pandas and bamboo on the sign." And let's not forget the waving cats perched by the cash register, another sure sign of culinary excellence, or not.
2
@Christopher
The waving cat, whose origin in Japanese, is in many, many Asian-owned businesses including nail salons and restaurants in China itself. It is a lucky charm thought to wave in luck and money and has nothing to do with food.
1
I know this is not about Hunan, but when I visit China I am always amazed at the ability of people fron Sichuan to enjoy spicy food. They enjoy food that is so spicy that it would literally burn my mouth. It doesn't matter how extremely spicy I think a dish is, for the people who grew up there it is just bland. Really amazing. It is nice to experience such diversity in taste. Sorry for deviating from the topic.
3
It may take a while longer than my belly would like, but I so thoroughly enjoyed this review, I want to assure all the food loving parts of me, we will get there eventually.
5
Pete is bridging the elite culinary heights of well, you know, and the rest of New York, that spralling multivarious multiborough metropolis. Vive le New York!
1
Great food. Not enough servers for the pace. People yell over the loud "aren't we having fun" music so the din is unbearable. I had to leave with a to go bag and sit quietly in my car to recover.
TURN IT DOWN on all levels and this will be a terrific stop.
10
@Peggy Bradley
I went with my 5 month old, and it was a relaxing to know that as loud as he shouted he wouldn't disturb the other patrons.
He and I both enjoyed the tomatoes in plum sauce.
2
@Peggy Bradley
This is a COMMON problem in NYC restaurants. Idiot restauranteurs mistakenly believe that 'loud' conveys 'busy' and 'successful.'
While for anyone over the age of 25 it is just annoying and/or unbearable. I'm with you in that I will NOT endure a glaringly loud environment and pay for the experience. If I really want the food from such a place (rare), I'll do take out or go at an off-hour.
12
Really enjoy your reviews.
Small point. It is "mifan," no matter what the menu says.
@jcb actually, it is "mifen"
4
@Tom
Aaaagh! You're right: "rice flour."
So much for my pidgin Chinese!
@Tom And forget about pinyin, in English it is "chili" not "Chile", Pete!
1
"Fake Hunans outnumber real ones" Ha! What about "Hunan Kitchen of Grand Sichuan"? (which got a good review here several years ago). The English names are often less than helpful in figuring out what you are in for, especially out in Flushing where English is often just an afterthought. My favorite Northern cuisine place is called "Northeastern People's Restaurant" in Chinese, which tells you what you are getting. Unfortunately it is translated as "Golden Palace."
3
What you consider "real" Hunan food is somewhat open to interpretation. The interesting thing you should know about all Chinese cuisine is domesticated chilies aren't native to Asia or anywhere else in the old world. Chilies came from somewhere in ancient Central or South America.
The humble chili didn't arrive in China until relatively late in the colonial age. Technically speaking, Hunan cuisine existed for more than a millennia before chilies arrived in the area sometime in the 17th century. You could say the same thing about Sichuan cuisine.
What most people confuse for "real" Chinese food is actually a product of Chairman Mao. Culinary experts fled communist China for Taiwan during the 20th century and eventually made their way here. Given the US culinary aversion to spice at the time, "Chinese" food began to resemble General Tso more than Chairman Mao.
The reality is "chile-haunted regions" in China are a relatively new phenomenon. The myth is similar to stereotyping Native Americans as prairie riding pastoralists. Native Americans had been here for ten thousand years before a horse ever set foot in America, North or South.
For me, the unique thing about Hunan food is the use of savory flavors. Where Sichuan is obsessed with the peppercorn, Hunan experiments with pickled meats and veggies. They combine salts and vinegars to complement spice without relying entirely on sweet for counter balance. I couldn't name my favorite dish but it was something eggplant.
24
Pickled vegetables are everywhere in Sichuan cuisine as well. The markets in Chengdu have stalls with mountains of assorted pickled vegetables and they are as integral in that cuisine as is the peppercorn.
Sounds great, but
once again Pete Wells' review leaves vegetarians hanging.
seems like almost every dish has "Berkshire pork"
no the tomatoes in plum sauce doesn't suffice
there are vegetarian dishes in the menu
Pete couldn't be bothered with them
enjoy climate change with your meat
11
@drdeanster Why should restaurant reviews cater to special-interest groups? Next thing, we'll have see reviews talk about "lite" diet food for overweight people, low salt for people who believe (often incorrectly) that salt is an enemy, diabetic preferences, etc.
13
@drdeanster
"The chiles knocked around in a very hot wok with sweet, juicy cabbage are small, red, sun-dried and noticeably fruity under their mouth-zapping heat."
That was one of his recommended dishes, vegetarian.
He does not list every noodle dish, just the ones he must enjoyed. The vegetarian noodle dish would, however, be covered under his recommendation at the bottom: "all noodles."
Pete is an omnivore, but he has no adversity to vegetables. ABCV, Superiority Burger, Nix, and Dirt Candy all got two stars from him. Some of them even made annual Top Ten lists. The best dishes here just happen to include berkshire pork.
25
@drdeanster
At this point climate change is happen' regardless. So yes, might as well enjoy what you can while you can. Ain't nothing you can do to change what's coming, sadly.
1
It is highly gratifying to see the places set with chopsticks (kuaizy). The guests may practice a non-slurping method of consuming noodles that fits the occidental table manners.
As to the dishes in slides, all fine, but I would do without the chicken legs and cherry tomatoes in plum sauce.
@Tuvw Xyz "kuaizy"??? I think you mean kuaizi.
7
@ Tom Port Wahington
You are right, the spelling on the Web is given as kuaízi [sic]. But I believe that the last syllable, which is also the character of "son", is pronouinced more like tsu, rather than English zi.
Provincial spelling?