Grand Sichuan International
15 7th Ave. South
New York, NY 212-6
212-620-5200

Review:
I would like to take a break from all of the traditional NY hotspots and introduce you to Grand Sichuan International. Owner Xiaotu Zhang (and Sichuan expert) explains that he is looking to “fix” what is wrong with Chinese food today. He goes on to say that since 2002, Restaurant Magazine has not listed many Chinese restaurants in their “top 50 list”. He is taking a break from traditional cooking (MSG/etc) and focusing more on healthy ingredients and innovative ways of preparing the same general dishes you can get any any given Chinese restaurant. PR aside, I had a chance to check out Grand Sichuan last week and thought it might be a great place for those daters who are on a budget.

The restaurant is nicely decorated and gives the impression that you are eating at a high end establishment. The prices are very reasonable and the food is some of the better Chinese that I have had in a long time. Grand Sichuan would make a nice second or third date. I wouldn’t advise going on a first date here for the simple fact that underneath it all, it is your basic run of the mill Chinese restaurant. If you are looking to make a grand first impression, you might want to set your sights (and your credit card) a little bit higher. For those of you who really aren’t into 5 star celebrity chefs and waiting 3 hours for a table, then Grand Sichuan just might be up your alley.

Date-ability Breakdown:
Original? No
Low-Key? Yes
Collaborative? No
Good for Conversation? Yes
Romantic? Yes and No.