When East Meets West (1): Finding the Perfect Modern Chinese Restaurant in Manhattan

概要

给外国朋友推荐中国餐馆是很痛苦的事情。好吃地道的中国餐馆通常又脏又挤，怎么看怎么也不上档次，服务也差，服务生拉长着脸，好像你欠着人家几吊钱似的，有时候人多还得根别人拼桌。档次高点的中国餐馆吧，又经常难以下咽，比如有名的Shun Lee，菜摆得很漂亮，服务也周到，可那菜的味道。。。真是去了一次就不想再去第二次了。

这个系列介绍几家我觉得不错的适合带外国朋友去吃的曼哈顿中国餐馆，环境干净舒服，服务比较西化，菜的味道也不错（当然，你如果除了辣呼呼的川菜以外什么都不爱吃的话，那也别去了）。这些地方我都是自己掏钱吃过的，I’m not affiliated with any restaurants, and I don’t get any discount or monetary benefit from them. 

这个系列的正文用英文写吧，因为这些比较适合老外自己吃，也适合中国同胞带老外去吃。

I’m a Chinese in New York. To be exact, I’m a Chinese with a bunch of foodie friends in all skin colors in the food capital of the world. From time to time, my foodie friends will pop the inevitable question:”What Chinese restaurants would you recommend?” Alas! This is among the top three questions I hate the most, the other two being “how’s your day/weekend” and “what do you do for fun”. They are all incredibly simple, so simple that you don’t know where to start with; they are open-ended, so open that you don’t know how much information is sufficient and spot-on without losing your audience. Plus, it’s really a pain in the a$$ to find a good Chinese restaurant that satisfies both Chinese taste buds and western dining culture.

It always amazes me that Americans tend to put Japanese food and Chinese food in the two extremes of dining spectrum although we are geographical neighbors. While Japanese restaurants are usually associated with being “chic”, “high-end” and “healthy”, Chinese restaurants are often viewed as being “cheap”, “dirty” and “oily”. The fact is Chinese cuisine varies a lot by region; it’s the Americanized Chinese fast food that pours tons of oily sauce on almost everything. Chicken with broccoli? Do you know we didn’t even have broccoli in China until it was imported in the late 20^th century?

New Yorkers have the luxury of accessing authentic Chinese cuisine in China town or Flushing. However, many Chinese restaurants are run in the traditional Chinese style: small, dark, crowded, noisy, smelly, and sometimes with service as poor as its ventilation. One of my western friends believed that all waiters in Chinese restaurants hated him, and it took me a while to explain to him that throwing dishes on the table or raising voice meant nothing but the waiter being in a rush.

That said, I have to compile a list of perfect modern Chinese restaurants for my western friends. My criteria are as follows:

• Authentic good Chinese cuisine. The food has to past my Chinese taste buds. A little fusion twist is OK, but the core cuisine has to be authentic. This criterion excludes some high-end restaurants such as Shun Lee.
• Pleasant dining experience. You may not get the same beamy bubbly little cutie in your next-door diner, or the black suit that silently leads you to the restroom the minute you stand up during the meal, but I promise no dish-throwing or screaming. Some or all of the staff are fluent in English. The restaurants have to look clean. Finally, you won’t be asked to share your table with a group of strangers when it gets crowded. This criterion excludes the majority of restaurants in China town and Flushing.

Last but not the least, here comes the disclaimer: I complied the list based on my own dining experience and personal taste. Things might have changed and past experience may not be indicative of future performance. If your favorite Chinese food is spring rolls or orange crispy beef, most likely you won’t agree with my selection. I eat on my own dime. I’m not affiliated with any restaurants, and I don’t get any discount or monetary benefit from them. 

Stay tuned.