Comments on: NJ Dining: Chengdu 1 (UPDATED)

By: Remembering China 46: Spicy Capsicum Saute « Off The Broiler

Remembering China 46: Spicy Capsicum Saute « Off The Broiler — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:20:57 +0000

[...] restaurant I’ve been to, and this includes the very good local newcomers such as Chengdu 1 and Petite Soochow, which I recommend heartily. I thought I had moved on until I had this dish [...]

By: Revising the Classics: Charlie Deal’s Kung Pao Chicken « Off The Broiler

Sun, 04 May 2008 01:31:50 +0000

[...] chopped up celery as an accent flavor. Here’s one of my favorite traditional versions, from Chengdu 1 restaurant in Cedar Grove, [...]

By: Liren

Liren — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:47:44 +0000

I’m Chinese and I LOVE spicy food. My god, this is like food porn!

By: Michele L

Michele L — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:13:19 +0000

I used to go to the Grand Sichuan on 9th ave. They had a cold appetizer of turnip, and peanuts in hot chili oil. I’ve never seen this dish anywere else. Does Chendu or any other place have anything similar?

By: charles

charles — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:19:36 +0000

Sorry mate, you’re just wrong about the Grand Sichuan locations. The ones in Chelsea, midtown east, st marks all deliver food that is of similar quality to the one that’s closed (they all have their ups and down of course). There is also a midtown location of Szchecuan Gourmet (sp?) that serves real Sichuan food.

By: 8-15 Updates « Off The Broiler

8-15 Updates « Off The Broiler — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:37:12 +0000

[...] Chengdu 1 in Cedar Grove continues to delight and impress. [...]

By: SichuanLover

SichuanLover — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:13:54 +0000

Visited Chengdu 1 couple of times based on the reviews here. I must say that I was not disappointed. Tried Triple Pepper Chicken, Spicy Chicken Ding and Spicy Lamb with pepper sauce. All three dishes were extremely good with the Vegetable Fried Rice. One thing I did not like is the excessive use of Sichuan Peppercorns which was overpowering the taste and aroma of the dish. I love peppers which they did put a lot in all dishes.

By: Paul Brodsky

Paul Brodsky — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:16:04 +0000

Just wanted to say I have gone here twice after reading the reviews. Thought it was excellent. I have found a number of worthwhile places only because of offthebroiler and I love his writing.

By: tracey

tracey — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:41:53 +0000

Jason
We just wanted to thank you for this find, we just got back from a great meal. Started with the wontons, spicy tongue, scallion pancake and crab rangoon for our “doesnt eat spicy companion”. and moved on with the Mapo Tofu, dry fried pork, pig intestine hot pot and sesame shrimp for you know who. They can keep the pig intestine with blood pudding but I didnt really have high hopes for that one. The Mapo tofu and dry fried pork were awsome, and the service was perfect.

Tracey n Karl

By: offthebroiler

offthebroiler — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:34:12 +0000

by the way I think there are two Kung Pao dishes on the menu, one called “Kung Pao Chicken Flowers” on the 3rd page on the house special dishes and one on the Sichuan menu,

By: offthebroiler

offthebroiler — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:31:30 +0000

The Spicy Chicken rice is on the menu, its in the Appetizers section on the top left of the inner cover of the menu. However it sounds like there is some variation as to how its prepared, depending on who’s cooking it. I hate it when restaurants are inconsistent.

By: Chetamorton

Chetamorton — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:48:22 +0000

Follow-up:

The Sichuan Wonton with Red Oil was once again luscious perfection (the sauce is too good to waste and so I add a few forkfuls of their (somehow) delicately seasoned plain white rice to soak up the sauce when done.

I already know that at the last I shall take the Dan-Dan Noodles into the closet and close the door so I can lick the container (NB: make sure you gently lift the bottom noodles and mix with those on top, as the sauce is well hidden below).

As for the Kung Pao Chicken Ding … I was unsure how much I liked it with the first bite, but each additional is pulling me in … a definite order again. One note: unlike Jason’s above, mine has small chunks of carrots and celery and does not appear to have onions or green peppers. No idea which is the norm. Alley

By: Chetamorton

Chetamorton — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 02:02:59 +0000

Wow! On Jason and Melissa’s excellent recommendations (particularly Jason’s gorgeous photographs) I decided to stop by and get a menu. Be aware the restaurant really is a bit tucked away in the shopping center all the way over on its left side next to the cinema. I picked up the take-out menu and knew I had to give it a try.

It’s a multi-page menu and the specifically-Sichuan items are on the first pages as you open it (I can see where one might miss them and think the “ordinary” menu is all there is.

Again, based on Jason’s recs, I tried several menu items.

The extremely good first: I ordered the Sichuan Wonton with Red Oil (absolutely loved them and am ordering again tonight); the Dan-Dan noodles (flat-out delicious and ditto); and the Ma-Po Tofu with meat (the first I’ve had in ages that was almost identical to my favorite restaurant Shun Lee’s but cheaper and therefore a bargain).

Based on above recs and picture I also ordered the Spicy Chicken Rice (the rice being the chicken) which was NOT on the menu. In this I was disappointed. Unlike the item pictured above it was more soup-y than glistening with oil and came with lettuce not pancakes. Since it’s not on the menu and the person taking the order seemed a titch confused, while what came did look in ingredients like the above, it’s possible it was slightly wrong. But I would not order this again.

I also tried the Beef in Western Szechuan Flavor. It too was a bit of a disappointment. It was again less alluring in the container and definitely bland. While hardly inedible (nothing from this restaurant would be) it is not on my Must-Have-Again list.

Tonight I try the Kung Pao Chicken Ding with great hopes.

This restaurant is DEFINITELY worth a trip for foodies.

Oh, and better yet, if you live in the area: THEY DELIVER!!!!!

Here’s hoping for a LONG LONG LIFE.

Alley

By: frugalman

frugalman — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:53:43 +0000

Great write up! Tried them tonight. Very very good. It was spicier than i expected. One thing we tried is the water-cooked lamb or Braised Lamb. Very hot and spicy and good. Also tried the tea smoked duck. smoky and good (not spicy).

By: hotspicy

hotspicy — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:41:47 +0000

You should try the Grand Sichuan on St Marks between 2 and 3rd Aves in Manhattan–it’s has different owners and a different Chinese name and is the restaurant of choice for my parents who were born in China. Also good and worth trying in Jersey is Chen 22 on Route 22 in or near Westfield, NJ.

By: caterchick

caterchick — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:22:18 +0000

We have “freshely killed chicken” dishes (which are excellent) in Chelsea too.

By: offthebroiler

offthebroiler — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:09:55 +0000

There are three other branches of GSI — Chelsea, Murray Hill and East Village — but none of them compare to the midtown branch. The midtown branch had a special menu, and had the “Freshly killed Kung Pao chicken” which was unique to that location I believe. The other locations are in the same extended family as the one that closed on 48th and 9th, but they are not in the same business group.

By: caterchick

caterchick — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:08:15 +0000

Unless I am mistaken, there is another ( the original??) Grand Sichuan International in my neck of the woods - 9th ave and 24 or 25th street in Chelsea. Menu is huge with many regional and authentic dishes difficult to find elsewhere. It’s always crowded.

By: Luther

Luther — Mon, 21 May 2007 11:47:24 +0000

Sadly, most (if not all) of the Sichuan peppercorns imported to the US in the time following the removal of the ban were not sterilized by irradiation, but rather by steam treatment. One can only assume that this attenuates the flavor in a significant manner.