BIG TROUBLE ! A new Sichuan Joint in Brooklyn by the owners of CHINA CAFE.

[pangaia]

NEW YORKER

TABLES FOR TWO AUGUST 21, 2017
The Fiery Passion of Birds of a Feather
The new Sichuanese eatery in Williamsburg blithely defies preconceived notions about Americans’ low heat tolerance.

Birds of a Feather | 191 Grand St., Brooklyn, N.Y. | 718-969-6800
By Jiayang Fan



http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/21/the-fiery-passion-of-birds-of-a-feather

Having eaten at CHINA CAFE, BIRDS OF A FEATHER must be out of this world!

A few choice comments from THE NEW YORKER review.

" A similar degree of devotion can be inspired by Sichuanese cuisine, which lands on the unsuspecting tongue like the kiss of a fierce lover; you might have conceived of the encounter as a forgettable fling, but it leaves you gasping for air—in thrall to its numbing, tingling fervor and possibly besotted for life."

"The so-called husband-and-wife special—formerly the food of rickshaw drivers—is made from “the wasted parts,” beef offal that only the poor would deign to eat; seasoned with chili oil, peanuts, and Sichuanese peppercorns, however, tripe has a depth of flavor and a texture that would be impossible to achieve with, say, filet mignon."

“When you are in that much pain, you want the food that brings you the most pleasure, even if it’s for three seconds before the agony starts again. The peppercorns may abuse you senseless, but you are an addict for life.”

[DFW]

1. Why oh why must it be all the way out there?

I get to NYC at least once a year, both for work and to see my daughter and sister. I LOVE northern Chinese cuisine, and it is one of the types my wife has not yet tried to master. But I am usually exhausted at the end of my workdays there, and the last thing I want to do is get on a subway or in a cab for 30-40 minutes to eat. When they open up a branch on East 40th street in Manhattan, let me know! Otherwise, my evening meal, as often as not, will consist of lentil soup at the Oxford Café at 52nd and Lex.

[pangaia]

2. Well DFW you are in luck,

Because the place has the same owners as CAFE CHINA ..13 E 37th. And CAFE CHINA is freakin' awesome!! And you can walk there!!! How great us that..
Warning..it is always packed so leave time...

You gotta have the wontons in chilli oil! OMG..Best Sichuan in nyc in my opinion...another is Xi'an Famous Foods they have 3 places..one at 14 e 34th..HAHA!
And for the trifecta.. HAGAWI, a killer vegitarian KOREAN place 12 e 32nd..dont let tge vegetarian throw you iff..trust me.

3 eateries all lined up for you to walk to btw Madison and 5th. How cool is that?

BTW Sichuan is southern rather than northern.. hope that's ok with you.

I cook sichuan almost every night.for 2 years.. getting better little by little..

[DFW]

3. Ah, now THAT I can live with

It's odd, the Sichuan and Hunan places I go to always refer to themselves as northern. I've never been to China. Maybe they were just being relative to Guangdong? After all, what would a Gwei-loh like me know, anyway, right?

[pangaia]

4. Guangdong yeah is farther south.

Btw Xi'an famius also has beancges on 3 45th and 54th..

Ive been to chiba a lit but not for a whike.

Check out The Mala Project on FB and their website. Great people who just returned from Chengdu.

[DFW]

5. The W. 45th St. Location isn't too far from where I'll be staying

Looks worth checking out if the weather isn't too cold!

[pangaia]

6. Surprised u could read my typos. Lol

Branches. And. China.. 🤣

[DFW]

7. In a former life I was a cryptographer

Seriously, I speak 9 languages (10 if you count Republicanese), so I'm used to trying to figure things out!

[pangaia]

8. Wow! I admire that skill.

I barely speak Englush. 😁

[DFW]

9. Born of necessity

I live in a country that borders on something like ten others, and I speak my wife's language with her when we are at home. I could either be like what the Europeans imagine to be the stereotypical American, who speaks no language other than his own, or else learn the languages of the people I would be living and working with. I chose the latter.