When my friend Rich from Ethno Junkie said that some of the best Szechuan food in NYC was not in Chinatown but in Whitestone, Queens – I had to follow him there to find out for myself.
I was not disappointed! Legends of Taste, is housed in a part of Queens you would ever peg to be where you can find such tasty Szechuan fare.
Hiding behind a vast menu that has plenty of American Chinese offerings such as “General Tso’s Chicken” and so, one has to dig a little deeper to find the true gems that exist on this menu.
Having confidence in Rich, I just allowed him to do the ordering waiting for the feast to ensue.
We started of with a fantastic bowl of Bean Jelly. This dish a is must do.
I really loved the Chengdu Fish Fillet Soup w/ Pickled Vegetables. The tart broth seasoned with the sourness coming form pickled chilies and vegetables along with the firmness of the flounder made for a superb mix of flavors.
Another standout dish was the Szechuan Style Crispy Eggplant. This unusual combination of crispy fried eggplant with chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts were addictive.
The Dry Sautéed Pork Kidney was another superbly created dish. The combination of chilies, sautéed vegetables and tender kidney was really masterfully done.
I was really very impressed by our meal at Legends of Taste. It definitely is on my go to list of local spots.
Here is some of what we ate:
Spicy Szechuan Pork Dumpling
Husband and Wife
Northern Szechuan Bean Jelly
Special Smoked Ribs
Chengdu Fish Fillet Soup w/ Pickled Vegetables
Szechuan Style Crispy Eggplant
Dry Sautéed Pork Kidney
Lamb with Cumin
Smoked Pork w/ Garlic Leaf
Crispy Chicken w/ Ginger and Peanut
Chengdu Style Hot and Spicy Prawns
