Earlier today I had dinner for the first time at Szechuan Gourmet... and I can't wait to go back.\r I'm addicted to spicy foods, and this place is like heaven. I'm glad to finally have somewhere like this nearby (rather than having to travel all the way to Flushing and back for Spicy Tasty or Little Pepper).\r My meal: Ox Tripe and Tongue (spectacular! amazing spice, mouth-numbing, everything was so crisp and fresh), Dan Dan Noodles (not the best i've had, of this standard szechuan staple.. i wanted a little tartness or tang, but it was still really good), Scallion Pancake (SO good, surprisingly. it was light and flaky, delicious. Not at all, thankfully, the typical soggy dense greasy version), Braised Lamb Fillets with Napa Cabbage and Roasted Chili (amazingly spicy! the lamb was extremely tender. all the different little vegetables were all cooked perfectly. the only negative thing i could say is perhaps it could use a little less salt)... I keep looking over the menu, planning my next visit (Spicy Sesame Noodles, Beef Tendon, Chef's Ma Paul Tofu, Double Cooked Sliced Pork Belly...)\r The restaurant decor is nothing special, kind of standard, it could be Cleveland in 1980, but nothing is dirty or tacky.\r The service was as helpful as they could possibly be. There was a cute moment where the server asked if he could take my plate and I sort of went ""yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no, okay"" (it's so hard to say goodbye!), we both laughed.\r The clientelle was varied -- a hispanic couple who ordered safe dishes and pushed things around, not eating much. a jewish couple with sleeping infant who ordered safe (and a lot!) but loved every bite. a few chinese couples who were really enjoying themselves, and me... At one point the Chinese couple next to me complimented me, saying I really knew how to order the good stuff (aka I eat like them), and it's surprising how i could handle the extreme spice (which was too hot even for them).\r \r

i LOVE the pork steamed buns. love love love them... i don't order the crab and pork steamed buns anymore, but they're really quite good... i LOVE the jellyfish...i love the soya duck... i love the ham and winter melon soup, i love the hong kong hot and sour soup... i LOVE the shredded eel with chives... i LOVE the spicy buffalo carp fish belly... i LOVE the braised sea cucumber with shrimp roe... i LOVE the salt and pepper jalapeno white fish... i love love the braised pork shoulder... i love love the lion's head... i love the eggplant with garlic sauce and pork... i love the shredded pork pickled cabbage vermicelli soup and the subgum noodle soup.... it's a huge menu with lots of awesome dishes. i tend to stray from the ""traditional new york chinese"" fare like sesame chicken but i've had a bite of it and it's really quite good... the service is quick and very friendly... i like the communal seating... i haven't got up the courage to buy a tshirt and/or hat yet, but i'm going to one of these days... this place is fun and i cannot go often enough (lord knows i've tried)...

i frequent sushi/sashimi/japanese places. i don't know what's authentic, but i know what's good. the food here is really good. my mouth is watering just thinking about it, to be honest. the yellow fin is so delicious. the freshness of everything is unfathomable. the sushi chef, Tom, is so nice and somehow manages to make conversation while preparing dozens of dishes simultaneously. the waiters are extremely nice. things aren't cheap here, but everything is well worth the cost. it could be much more expensive and still be worth it... the best sea urchin i've ever had... the vegetables are all so delicious... decent sake menu (with silly little letter designations like P for Peachy, stuff like that). lots of other non-sushi/sashimi options... i really want to return QUITE SOON because i'm so excited to try out absolutely EVERYTHING.

the thai food is better here than at 60 thompson, and 1/10 the price. awesome lunch deals. every dish here which i've had other places is far superior here. i think the service is really friendly and nice and quick and efficient. i love the durian ice cream. i love the soups. i love everything about this place... lots of great meals here, lots of great memories here...

i haven't had everything on the menu, but everything i've had is terrific. the veal heart (rare) is spectacular. it's a minimum of 30 minutes subway and 15 minutes walking to get to (and from) this place, but it's well worth it. nice service, nice atmosphere, nice family place, nice to go and be alone, fun vibe, lots of alcohol choices, huge menu.

I've been a couple of times. The music is a bit cheesy, a little bit opera a little bit love song a little bit dance, it's all over the place, but I pay entirely too much attention to music so it's not likely to be a problem for other people... I love the open kitchen. I love the detailing of the place. The service has been okay. I've had a whole fish which was amazing, rabbit lasagne which was just okay, a couple of the pizzas, the tripe, and a few other things which were okay... my favorite items are the bread and ricotta (placed at the table when you sit down -- i like to throw a few grains of salt on it, give it some fresh pepper, and put a little bit of olive oil, mmm) -- it's really delicious -- and the 28 oz steak which is insanely good. i eat all the fat on it. it's all so smokey and tender and rustic and delicious... i'm not a dessert person. the wine selection is good, though i think they need more by-the-glass options. the beer selection honestly is dismal... i'm generally very minimal and reserved and quiet with the staff but one guy here really had an attitude problem (i got there late, upstairs was closed, they said please go downstairs where we're serving meat dishes (not seafood, not pastas, not poultry), so i asked for the steak, he said they don't have that, i said it's meat i love the steak so much and i've been craving it for a week, he said that's steak not meat, i said steak is meat where i come from, he then proceeded to call me eurotrash -- which is funny because i'm from california and have NO accent or affection of ANY accent whatsoever)... i haven't been back in a couple months, because my feelings were hurt -- but i crave that steak (rare) almost daily... the scene is OKAY. lots of people looking to impress their date, lots of people who chew with their mouths open, quite a few of the silk-shirted-man three-buttons-undone sleeves-rolled types (not that there's anything wrong with that)... sorry if i've said something offensive!

i arrived at 7pm. nice music, beautiful place, very helpful people. i love the look and design of the place. the atmosphere is wonderful... i had a ham assortment, blistered peppers, sweetbreads with fennel and capers, grilled sardines, monkfish with ramps, snails with chorizo, seared and marinated tuna, braised pork belly with asparagus and cherries, churos, coffee, and two bottles of wine... a dinner that went well over three hours.... i had great conversations with the couples sitting at the tables on both sides of me -- all of them, since i was there quite awhile... this place has wonderful spirit, and people who eat there are adventurous, everyone seemed very happy there be there... i would be in heaven if i could eat the braised pork belly for dinner every single day -- i will try a more realistic goal of once a month -- this dish is really really quite delicious... awesome wine selection by the bottle AND by the glass, lots of fun beers.... i sat near the kitchen, the chef offered me cava from a really cool container the kitchen staff drinks from (no lip contact, it's a thin-stream poarer)... i had an amazing meal and an amazing experience. 10/10. cannot go back soon enough!

the service is superb (extremely polite, ridiculously patient and instructive and courteous and informative, very appropriate), the sake selection is quite decent, with some less expensive offerings. the beer selection is decent. the appetizers are great, fun. the sushi is good. the sashimi is fantastic... i HIGHLY recommend the albacore -- which is slightly cooked on the outside and comes with just the right amount of a lovely little white sauce... there could be more of a waiting area, but the people in the waiting area are absurdly polite and helpful -- as if you could ask them anything and it wouldn't be refused... if the place is packed you can put in your name and give them your cellphone number and they will call you when your table is ready. i don't remember the music.

i've had everything on the menu (about a dozen items) dozens of times... my absolute favorite item is the sesame pancake with tuna salad with kimchi (you have to ask them to add the kimchi) -- the sesame pancakes are always fresh and crispy and crunchy, with the tuna salad (peas, carrots, scallions) and kimchi this sandwich is an absolute knockout -- and the price is beyond perfect... i ate here every day for almost two months. some days i would skip a day, then eat here twice the next day... this place is nowhere near my house, but it's well worth the subway ride and the walk... the waiting line is something you have to get used to. basically don't wait politely. push your way in and be very direct with not a lot of extra talk... i love the dumplings -- so good and SO worth the price... i love all the staff members. i never talk to them really but when they hear my sandwich order they all look over their shoulder and smile at me (they're very familiar with me and my order)... i like to get my sandwich and/or dumplings and get some cold soy milk and go over to the park on chrystie and watch people play soccer... i love this place so much, if i ever have grandchildren i'll tell them stories of all the adventures i've had getting to and from this place.... i've brought at least 2 dozen people to this place and everybody absolutely love it, ""the best dumplings i've ever had in my life -- and so fast, and so cheap!!!""... lots of school kids come here. lots of old people come here. lots of real chinese people come here. lots of very hip people of all ages and ethnicities come here...