Amazing 66

Keep an eye out for the dishes at the next table.

Ordering "one of those" won't always help you, however; a number of the more elaborate dishes must be preordered. Take pumpkin stuffed with short ribs (large; $38), which surely requires time for the brown gravy — like a Japanese black pepper curry — to soak its way from the inside out. The ribs, at the end of this process, are nearly as tender as the pumpkin itself. Well worth a phone call the day before; I imagine the same is true of crispy chicken stuffed with shrimp and almonds.

The chandelier in the well-lit main dining room added a number of glistening highlights, so the pumpkin isn't shown to best advantage; photos of the jumbo prawns with double rice (black and glutinous rice, mixed with mushrooms and scallops) didn't turn out at all. That's a shame; in looks, texture, and subtle combinations of flavor, it's a showcase dish.

Successfully captured on camera, and shown below: another shot of the roast chicken ($18.95) heaped with preserved vegetables; pan-fried butterfish ($9.95), easily deboned, and sweet enough that they might have been browned with a little sugar; the pumpkin with short ribs; pea shoots with garlic ($7.95); baby bok choy ($7.95); exceedingly light steamed bean curd with minced shrimp ($8.50); and tapioca, perhaps with mung bean or some other savory touch (on the house).

Amazing 66
66 Mott St. (Canal-Bayard Sts.)
212-334-0099

Comments

[Polecat]

Nice write-up, as usual. I'm definitely into trying the stuffed chicken next time. P.