Jando S.
Yelp
A testament to the growing popularity of Sichuan cuisine in the US is further exemplified with Tai Er (太二), one of China's most successful restaurant chains. Flushing becomes the second location in the country, and third overall on the continent (#1). While there are tastier options in the area, I would give Tai Er a thumbs up overall.
Located inside of Tangram on the second level, Tai Er has a healthy crowd of diners practically every night. Since they don't take reservations, waits are a frequent thing here. (#2) The interior is modern all around, with clean bathrooms and large seating areas. The open kitchen has a view for the public side, so anyone can witness the prep for all dishes and witness the cauldron of hot oil hitting the food. The ambiance is as chaotic as the staff, which is often seen scrambling to deal with all the customers present (seated) and potential (waiting).
Like many trendy Chinese places nowadays, ordering is done through mobile phones. The platform is geared toward Chinese speakers / writers, despite some major mistranslations on the online ordering system and some potential for mishaps in case of substitutions. Staff is present to help with this, but as always, having a Mandarin speaker or 10 will be very helpful.
Their claim to fame is their take on suan cai yu (酸菜魚), which some might know as the Sichuanese style fish in pickled mustard greens to which they've dubbed "Signature sauerkraut fish". Another popular Sichuanese dish, the poached fish in hot oil (水煮魚) is also among their specialties, and served in some of the largest plate-bowls I've seen. The spice kick is not significant, at least for mala-ready tastebuds, but this is a solid output that if done consistently, is worthy of a repeat despite the overly inflated price tag of $60 per bowl.
My group and I ordered several other dishes that included mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐), fuqi feipian (夫妻肺片 - couples delight?), poached sliced beef in oil (水煮牛), mouth watering chicken (口水雞), and a simple Chinese broccoli (芥藍) that was all solid. It was all very family style appropriate, with enough heat in each dish to satisfy the average spice seeker.
Some other random things I loved:
:: The branded mugs. There is a complimentary rose tea that is served at the end of the meal, which I appreciated.
:: Shout out to all the Zojirushi rice cookers on the counter. Respect.
:: The little table game everyone can shake around for a "lucky stick." This is the most Chinese thing I've seen in a while.
While not everyone in my group was about it, I certainly enjoyed myself. Barring some minor service issues, the prices, and the general disorder of the place, I still think there's a lot of potential here and I can't wait to come back to try more.
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(#1) Arcadia, CA and Richmond, BC being the others. AKA some of the most Chinese of Chinese enclaves on the planet.
(#2) Part of a larger group? Prepare to wait even longer.