A Schezuan lunch at Spicy and Tasty with my mother, just because it had been so long since we'd eaten together in Flushing:
A meager serving of Dan Dan noodles with small spoonful of minced pork lurking somewhere underneath. The noodles were boring, for lack of a better term. And the heat was so subtle...almost non-existent.
Below is a chilled seaweed salad, with a hint of sesame and liberal usage of minced garlic, so much so that the salad is almost spicy, with bitter undertones.This pungent seaweed might not appeal to everyone, but I gladly consumed each strand in small nibbles.
The rabbit in the chilled diced rabbit appetizer clearly had not been poached properly, resulting in tough, chewy, and watery meat.
The shredded beef was fried and dry, possessing a crispy exterior and a texture similar to jerky. Fragrant chinese celery added a nice crunch, but the bamboo shoots were under-salted.
The fatty basil duck tongues had not been rendered properly and were piled on top of a bland, sweet, sticky sauce without presence (taste nor sight) of the herb. Not spicy, nor tasty.
These dumplings were an afterthought, only because we didn't end up having enough food. The dumplings themselves could have been bought at any supermarket, but the garlicky, sweet, and appropriately spicy sauce I would have bought by the jar.
While we did go for less traditional Schezuan dishes, this place managed to churn out shameful renditions of even the classics, like the chilled diced rabbit. I had better Schezuan food later that night at The Land of Plenty on the Upper East Side.
Spicy and Tasty
39-07 Prince Street, 1H
Flushing, NY 11354
