Yuet Lee Seafood Restaurant

"Yuet Lee is a Cantonese seafood restaurant in Chinatown that’s easily recognizable by the Coca Cola sign perched above the entrance. There are photos of celebrity visitors all over the walls, from Jackie Chan and Jacques Pépin to Guy Fieri himself, plus plenty of seating along the window looking out toward Broadway. The plastic platters are optimally designed to hold all the extra sauce from their hearty entrees, like peppery black bean clams, and the tofu hunks topped with fish cake. Sop it all up with steamed rice as you silently contemplate what you’d say if Guy Fieri walked in." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, ricky rodriguez

"This old-school Cantonese seafood spot has been around since the '70s, and has drawn in everyone from Jackie Chan and Jacques Pepin to Guy Fieri and Joey Chestnut (their photos are taped up on the walls). It’s also the neighborhood go-to for a casual night filled with excellent steamed fish, salt and pepper prawns, and sautéed crab. The showstopper is the clams with a sweet, gravy-like pepper and black bean sauce that balances out the brininess of the clams. Since Yuet Lee is never too packed, walk in with friends and spend a few hours dissecting the drama of the day over tea, chow fun, and fish cake-topped tofu. " - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, lani conway

"Dish: Sautéed clams with pepper and black bean sauce At this casual Cantonese spot in Chinatown, every table is filled with a spread of dishes from the ocean. There are wiggly tofu hunks topped with fish cake, salt and pepper prawns, and steamed fish buried under a pile of bean sprouts. The showstopper is the clams with pepper and black bean sauce. More gravy-like, the sauce is thicker than a down quilt, and the right touch of sweetness balances out the brininess of the clams. Using rice to eat up any leftover sauce is always a good idea. But we prefer to just slurp it back by the spoonful. " - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez

"The Cantonese seafood classic has been around since the '70s, and has drawn in everyone from Jackie Chan and Jacques Pépin to Guy Fieri and Joey Chestnut (their photos are taped up on the walls). It’s also the neighborhood go-to for a casual night filled with excellent steamed fish, salt and pepper prawns, and sautéed crab. The showstopper is the clams with a sweet, gravy-like pepper and black bean sauce that balances out the brininess of the clams. Since Yuet Lee is never too packed—walk in with friends and spend a few hours dissecting the drama of the day over tea, chow fun, and fish cake-topped tofu. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez

"Yuet Lee in Chinatown has been around since the '70s, and is a Cantonese seafood institution—which is why you’ll see photos of people like Jackie Chan, Jacques Pépin, Guy Fieri, and even Joey Chestnut taped up on the walls. They’re serving excellent whole steamed fish, salt and pepper prawns, and sautéed crab. The showstopper is the clams with pepper and black bean sauce. More gravy-like, the sauce is thicker than a down quilt, and the right touch of sweetness balances out the brininess of the clams. It’s also never too packed, so it’s easy to walk in with friends and spend a couple of hours dissecting the day’s drama over refills of hot tea, chow fun, and tofu topped with fish cake. " - Julia Chen