456 Shanghai

Earlier this year I took a class on dim sum preparation (more on that later), and just this week I had a friend visiting from Shanghai, so I have had a lot of inspiration for finally getting down below Canal Street. While my friend was in town we ate a lot of American and European foods, but once she left I wanted to go and have a taste of what she eats when she's back in China.

So, tonight I went out to try 456 Shanghai, in New York City's Chinatown, recipient of Sam Sifton's recent glowing review in The New York Times, in which he bestowed the restaurant with a star. I have eaten at many Chinese restaurants in the city, and live only about a fifteen or so minute walk from Chinatown, but I had never dined in the area before tonight.

At 456 Shanghai, I did not push my comfort zone too much - largely because of my companions. We went for a fairly basic, American friendly meal of scallion pancakes, braised vegetable noodles, General Tso's chicken, and a vegetable dish consisting of eggplant, green beans, and broccoli in a garlicky basil sauce, along with pork soup dumplings and vegetable dumplings. The vegetable dishes were by far the standouts for me, with the mixed vegetable dish having incredible flavor in the sauce, and the vegetable dumplings were not simply a mush of sauteed vegetables, but well blended and seasoned with a variety of tastes inside. The quality of the meat was surprisingly good - many places will give you the tough pieces in a dish like General Tso's, but each bite was moist and chewable. The soup dumplings, however, were rather bland, as were the noodles.

I'm happy to have made the trip... Next time I would lean more toward an all vegetarian meal at 456, but I like knowing that the chicken is a safe bet as well.

456 Shanghai Cuisine
69 Mott Street
New York, NY
212.964.0003

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/dining/reviews/456-shanghai-cuisine-nyc-restaurant-review.html?pagewanted=all