03/08/09

Best food in Chinatown

by bamabest1992

My wife and I ate there in Feb 2009. We had great service. The waiter was very helpful. The food was great. Probably the best oriental food we have ever had. We are going back to NYC soon, and we will certainly revisit.

10/10/08

dirty vegetables

by mike353456

The scallion had dirt on it, and they had clearly not washed it. the food and the service were okay....

04/01/08

Cantonese contender amazes with authentic dishes that'll push some diners out of their comfort zone.

by Justin Hartung

The Scene
Though it suffers from the same bright lighting that afflicts so many Chinatown restaurants, Amazing 66 does make a few small gestures toward individuality. A chandelier hangs from a circular ceiling inset, and a few bizarre touches like mini disco balls and displayed bottles of Remy Martin desperately insist that this is where the party's at. Then again, maybe it is, as tables are filled to the limit with a predominantly Chinese crowd.

The Food
Cantonese cuisine is known for its sparing use of spices and a thorough use of animal parts, and Amazing 66 fits the profile on both counts. A massive bowl of fried duck tongues yields crunchy pleasure, though the cartilage attached to each piece can be a shock. Elsewhere, duck proves too fatty when braised and accompanied by mixed veggies and drowned in a bland, gloppy sauce. Less aesthetically challenging options include honey-slathered quail, crisped to perfection, and pork cooked in a delectable tempura-like batter.

Hits: It's a fun place to take a detour from the Chinese-American classics and venture into something a little more authentic.

Misses: Service is a bit brisk and indifferent, and flat-screen TVs don't exactly warm the room up.

01/14/08

Simply WOW! Great food! Great Prices! Enjoyable

by dleung92

A really nice restaurant! The decor is welcoming and modern. They have a 40" HDTV hung on the wall for everyone to watch and have dinner. They usually keep it on the sports channel. One of the best Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. The food tastes great! I have ate here so many times and I would highly recommend to others to try this place out. Be warned that this restaurant is extremely busy. Reservations should be made before you come to this restaurant especially at peak lunch/ dinner hours.

• Pros: Food, service, decor, prices
• Cons: NONE

11/29/07

Best Chinese Restaurant

by purpleicefire

Best food, nice decoration. The manager Helen is always greets customers with sweet smile. The problem is hard to get a seat especailly in week end!

06/19/07

I was Witness!!!!

by aunties_rat_dog

so, I was there when shaneequa and her group (pls see below comments) were there ... and indeed my group, being used to Burger King and Dominos, glanced hard at what the laughing table was ordering.

Everything looked delicious! Albeit I did notice a look of pukish disgust passed over a very adorable man's face as he involuntarily exclaimed - ai yah to a dish that sounded good to this group of non-asians .... succulent roast beef with fries! Hello, Applebees!

They did order (or rather, I guess it's this Mimi character) this interesting concoction of fried shrimp in a weaved basket. Again, while the rest of the group turned to hurl, this dish was plunged into and ravished by some. As they turned the dish, i noticed ... the once alive but now fried the hell out of it Shrimp was sitting moist in a bucketful of Miracle Whip. I didn't even know Chinese people ate Miracle Whip! And Shanequa was right! there was a telltell stream of bright orange which was proudly identified as velveeta.

Um, even us - a table who grew up on casseroles - could barely contain our disgust. As certain members of the party proceeded to stir lovingly this abomination, we noticed giggling that there was indeed a Del Monte fruit cocktail below all that mess! Unfortunately no cherries ... i believe the cherries were plucked for another dish. Ai yah - those chinese restaurants are SO creative!

So, in one AAAAAAAA-mazing moment, we have a combination of fried-until-limp shrimp, 2 jars of Miracle Whip and a glazed topping of velvetta mixed together and highlighted with syruppy fruit cocktail

After seeing this dish, we no longer go to chinatown and proceed to eat at Midtown and Upper Westside chinese places .... sure, it isn't authetic but it aint no mayo-y, cheesy, fruity fried shrimp

either!

That dish, BTW, was not clawed by anyone except perhaps the feistiest of them all...

06/19/07

ask for miss chan!

by sheenequa

my friend nuoc nam du du and i were seriously lusting for the scrumptious chicken stuffed with minced shrimp, the highest desideratum of haute chinese cooking. so before the summer doldrums descended, i decided to get the posse together at amazing 66. having fostered a fraternal bond with miss chan, the feisty but filthy gorgeous maitre?d, we turned to her guidance for an empyrean feast. ms chan, whom i personally worship as the deus ex machina of noveau chinoise cuisine, might have presumed that as we had amongst us, the chimera (who was of anglo-saxon descent), that our palates would gravitate towards the more ?westernized fusion? offerings. she cogently pitched the silky smooth roast beef, which i almost fell prey to until she revealed that it came with a side of fries and dinner rolls. of course we were no fools and opted to study the menu diligently. well at least two of us did, as the rest would not stop yacking.

having chosen most of the dishes and vetoing mimi twice, (yes readers, this is that same mimi i wrote about in the shanghai yeah review) i felt guilty and allowed her to make a contribution. with alacrity, she went straight for the shrimp with mayo and fruit cocktails nested on a taro basket. when asked how she reached that decision, she pointed around us ?look, every table ordered one!?.

fifi and i rolled our eyes with disgust when the dish arrived. not only was the shrimp drowining in mayo, it was topped with impregnable coats of velveeta? resting underneath, the fruit cocktail was an unpleasant surprise that reminded one of canned del monte, a staple in the third world?

we would never return had it not been for miss chan?s gratuitous soup and desserts, and that generous discount. next time, we predict that mimi will go for the fish with peach slices? also, du du suggested that we do a cleansing ceremony by symbolically dipping the mayo drenched shrimps into cups of hot tea, to signify purification and release.

• Pros: ms chan
• Cons: shrimp with mayo, cheese and fruit cocktail

12/08/06

One of the most delicious meals I've ever had!!

by eman0n

I've never had Cantonese-style food quite like this before. Everything was extremely fresh and ultra delicious. We went there to eat for a friend's birthday. Let's just say, there wasn't much table conversation because everyone was too busy eating! I definitely recommend the scungilli and the steamed crab & sticky rice. Can't wait to go back.

• Pros: Scungilli, steamed crab & sticky rice, and the quail.
• Cons: Area can be difficult to find parking. But it's well worth it.

11/24/06

Awesome food, great Decor

by chowhounder12

Food was delicious, food was deliciously flavored. The quail was yummy, i ate it all the way to the bones...

definately will try this restaurant again... they are opening their basement soon I heard, for private parties if you book ahead... I am thinking of going there to throw a birthday party for my friends...

11/22/06

Decor, Food, and Service -- Greeeeat!

by nycgoodfood4u

Fantastic decor and ambiance. You just feel the right vibe when entering this place. The food is delicious and not too complicated; it's yummy for the whole family. The decor and environment is very inviting and homey. Truly impressed!!

• Pros: Great food, reasonable prices, lovely interior decorating.
• Cons: parking may be hard, but still reasonable.