This restaurant recently changed cuisines, from Shanghainese to Sichuanese. Prince Noodle's current menu and business card still list that English-language name, but they also include Chinese characters reading "Lao Cheng Du," that is, "old Chengdu," the capital of Sichuan province. The awning gives the same signal. Even if you don't understand Chinese characters, you surely understand chili pepper.
Procured from the display case of cold delicacies, braised duck heads (four split lengthwise, $6) offer up lots of meat once you commit to nibbling around the still-recognizable contours of cartilage and bone. They're much like chicken wings, except that they're duck. And heads. Joe DiStefano's adventurous Chopsticks and Marrow tells more about the chef and some favorite dishes that don't look you in the eye.
Also shown, from a subsequent group dinner: an amuse-bouche; poached chicken and peanut with chili sesame soy (also known by its literal translation, "mouth-watering chicken"; spicy beef tendon; sauteed pea shoots; and my favorite dish at the table, braised (and boneless!) eel with fresh garlic and pickled chili.
Prince Noodle House (also known as Lao Cheng Du and Cheng Du Spicy Food)
37-17 Prince St. (37th-38th Aves.), Flushing, Queens
718-886-5595
