14 replies to this topic

[Maison Rustique]

I guess I just don't get around enough. There is a fairly new Chinese place (maybe 5 tables, mostly take-out) nearby. I stopped in this afternoon to pick up a menu. According to the menu, they serve Chinese food, New York style. I'm quite sure I've never heard of NY style Chinese before. What on earth does that mean?

[AaronS]

where is the restaurant?

[Maison Rustique]

Technically, Kansas City, Mo, but just over the Liberty, MO line.

[Lex]

In New York in 2012 there is no distinct "New York" style. Chinese restaurants have morphed into multiple regional variations. Fujianese, Sichuan, Hunan, Hong Kong, Shanghai. Malaysian offshoots. Indian-Chinese too. The Cantonese restaurants are still around too. Most are bad but there are some that are good.

My guess is that it's Cantonese stuff, circa 1975, when there was very little variation between Chinese restaurants in New York. If you link to their menu we can get a better idea of what your place is serving.

[mongo_jones]

transplanted new yorkers in l.a of a certain vintage are known to complain about the lack of nyc style chinese. this usually means they don't know much about chinese food.

marginally relatedly, i have a friend who moved from ny/nj to l.a for work in the late 90s. his holy grail was a type of burger he used to eat in college in new jersey that was dubbed the l.a burger. he thought he was going to be in l.a burger heaven in los angeles; but he could never find a l.a burger anywhere in l.a. then a year later he came very close in some diner in the san fernando valley when he ordered something they called the new york burger.

[hollywood]

On the Chowhound LA board the search for New York style Chinese is a recurring topic. I think it's basically Ameicanized Chinese from years gone by.

[Daniel]

transplanted new yorkers in l.a of a certain vintage are known to complain about the lack of nyc style chinese. this usually means they don't know much about chinese food.

marginally relatedly, i have a friend who moved from ny/nj to l.a for work in the late 90s. his holy grail was a type of burger he used to eat in college in new jersey that was dubbed the l.a burger. he thought he was going to be in l.a burger heaven in los angeles; but he could never find a l.a burger anywhere in l.a. then a year later he came very close in some diner in the san fernando valley when he ordered something they called the new york burger.

Then there is the Cali Burger which means, lettuce and tomato in Jersey Hamburger Places.. Though, it may be a national term.. I don't know.

[Maison Rustique]

Thanks all! In So. Calif., I never encountered this. It seemed more important to be authentic to the country/region of origin, if that makes sense. I wasn't sure if it was something they put out there for us ignorant mid-westerners to make us think we were getting a more sophisticated type of Chinese take-out. LOL!I don't know if they have a website, but will check and post a link if they do.

[Maison Rustique]

Apparently, this is a chain. Link to Urbanspoon Reviews. New York Style Chinese seems to be an accepted term/cuisine by most folks, so I guess I really have had my head in the sand for the past 50 years. I may try it, but honestly would rather go back to our also recently-opened Indian restaurant.

[Lex]

There are pictures of their menu.

All the old faves are there. Egg roll. Pupu platter. Chow mein. There are some nods to the 1980s - kung pao chicken, roast pork with garlic sauce.

If they cook this stuff carefully it can be decent if unexciting. If not, it can be awful. I guess what I'm saying is that there's not a whole lot of up side here.

FWIW, about 30% to 40% of the Chinese restaurants in New York are still serving this stuff. Some people like it.

[Maison Rustique]

There are pictures of their menu.

All the old faves are there. Egg roll. Pupu platter. Chow mein. There are some nods to the 1980s - kung pao chicken, roast pork with garlic sauce.

If they cook this stuff carefully it can be decent if unexciting. If not, it can be awful. I guess what I'm saying is that there's not a whole lot of up side here.

FWIW, about 30% to 40% of the Chinese restaurants in New York are still serving this stuff. Some people like it.

I couldn't quite put it into words when I looked at their menu, but you said it well--unexciting. There was nothing there that made me want to jump right on the phone and order dinner.

I think I forgot to mention that when I went in to grab a menu, it smelled like pizza in there!

[splinky]

There are pictures of their menu.

All the old faves are there. Egg roll. Pupu platter. Chow mein. There are some nods to the 1980s - kung pao chicken, roast pork with garlic sauce.

If they cook this stuff carefully it can be decent if unexciting. If not, it can be awful. I guess what I'm saying is that there's not a whole lot of up side here.

FWIW, about 30% to 40% of the Chinese restaurants in New York are still serving this stuff. Some people like it.

I couldn't quite put it into words when I looked at their menu, but you said it well--unexciting. There was nothing there that made me want to jump right on the phone and order dinner.

I think I forgot to mention that when I went in to grab a menu, it smelled like pizza in there!

if the pizza was burnt on one side, it's brooklyn style chinese food

[Orik]

My guess is that it's Cantonese stuff, circa 1975, when there was very little variation between Chinese restaurants in New York. If you link to their menu we can get a better idea of what your place is serving.

This is still the mainstream cuisine for old school Chinese takeaway places (the ones that often double as Mexcian and/or sushi), isn't it?

[Lex]

My guess is that it's Cantonese stuff, circa 1975, when there was very little variation between Chinese restaurants in New York. If you link to their menu we can get a better idea of what your place is serving.

This is still the mainstream cuisine for old school Chinese takeaway places (the ones that often double as Mexcian and/or sushi), isn't it?

Yep. That's why I said 30-40% of the Chinese places in NYC are still selling this stuff. Granted, most of them are grim take out places with a couple of tables for eat-in customers but they're still around. I think a lot of people have come to expect a higher level of execution from Chinese restaurants here but there are plenty of people who don't care very much.

A few years ago I was eating at Grand Sichuan House in Bay Ridge, a restaurant in the same general range as Hot Kitchen, when a big fat guy came in and demanded chow mein takeout. He was amazed that they didn't have it. "You call yourselves a Chinese restaurant???"

Those people are still out there and those crapass takeout places are there to meet their chow mein needs.

[TaliesinNYC]

think of roast pork fried rice with half a deep-fried fried chicken, extra hot sauce on top.

when it's good, it's great ... but most of the time, it can be dreck.

you take your chances sometimes.