I was in New York for a working lunch with an editor but it almost got derailed. He took me to a fairly new Sichuan restaurant on Second Avenue, not far from his office, called Grand Sichuan Eastern. It's always iffy judging a restaurant on one visit but yesterday the Grand Sichuan was very good. The first hint was the number of Chinese-speaking patrons all around us. Looking at what was on their tables got me giddy. That's my excuse for getting carried away and ordering vegetable dumplings, eggplant with garlic, and sauteed sliced lotus root. The editor, who could not do without meat, added a chicken dish to that. He ate that and we shared the rest.The vegetable dumplings were delicious, packed with greens and steamed just right. The eggplant garlic is an old friend and I was delighted with it. The editor too enjoyed the contrast of the spicy garlicky sauce and natural sweetness of the eggplant. I also loved the lotus root, one of my favorite vegetables and, needless to say, one I don't get a lot of in rural Pennsylvania. It was new to the editor but he quickly appreciated its characteristic crunchiness, subtly flavored with ginger. We both had brown rice to go with the meal. It still blows my mind that many restaurants offer a choice of brown or white rice.
I loved Grand Sichuan Eastern, a small restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere, which is to say it's the kind of place where the food not ambiance matters. The food was very good and the service was good and quick. Our server did her job with good humor. I got a take-out menu to study for my next trip to New York.
