My favorite thing to do in a big city is to find hidden gems.
In New York City, I would walk through Midtown, about three blocks away from
the main tourist traps and get lost in the real bustle of the city while
looking for a place to eat. Then I’d find the unassuming entrance to what I
think is a little bistro, only to open the door and enter a completely
different, luxurious realm of food and drink. It would feel like I escaped the
city through a wardrobe to a quiet new dimension. We have that now in
Rochester, on Park Avenue. What was Cobbs Hill Pizza and Bistro Six30 is now
Szechuan Opera.
It is
visually a complete departure from the previous residents of the space. A rock
fountain greets you in the vestibule, and a large stone bar stocked with wine
and beer are directly to the right. Above the wine and glass racks are twelve
statues that each represent an animal of the Chinese zodiac. There are classic
Chinese art pieces and actual Szechuan opera masks hanging on the walls. Just
past an ornate wood walkway is the dining room, with a cushy, long bench opposite
a line of tables, and large U-shaped booths to the left that look like
something from out of a scene from a drama I’d catch on the Independent Film
Channel.
And how did
they make the space seem so much larger? If “My Dinner with Andre” was to have
a sequel, this would be the place to film it. At the very least, the new space
is large but intimate enough that I predict that Szechuan Opera will be the
willing host to many marriage proposals.
According to
manager Peter Au, remodeling the space took nearly a year. All materials,
artwork, furniture, and dishware were imported directly from China. This is why
it looks like I entered a different world; I kind of did. Szechuan Opera has
only been open for about a month, and customers steadily streamed in as I spoke
with Au.
Szechuan
Opera is not a traditional American Chinese restaurant. The food that we call
Chinese in the States is not authentic Chinese food, but a marriage of some
traditional dishes and American styles. This is partially because of Americans’
wariness of foreign flavors, and partially the availability of some ingredients:
bean curd (tofu) and native Asian peppers were just not readily available in
the States in the late 19th century.
Au explained
that the chefs at Szechuan Opera patterned the menu after cuisine from China’s
Sichuan province (which partially inspired the restaurant’s name). You can
still get the Chinese food that most Americans are accustomed to, such as Lo Mein,
scallion pancakes, and egg rolls. But if you feel a bit more adventurous, Szechuan
Opera offers a menu of more traditional dishes. They tend to be spicy, but
don’t let that deter you; the food is not spicy simply for the sake of being
almost unbearable, Au explained. It is still bold with flavor, and the spice
enhances the flavor.
I ordered
the spicy bean curd with fish fillet dish ($18.95) from the Classic Szechuan
menu. It’s a stew that comes in a large bowl filled with huge chunks of fried
fish and cubes of bean curd, speckled with red peppers and vegetables, all
swimming in a thick broth. As much as I wanted to eat the whole thing, it was
such a large dish that I had to take some home. Thankfully, I discovered that
it is just as good the next morning, especially after my leftover rice soaked
up most of the remaining broth.
I also
ordered the Chengdu-style mung bean noodle appetizer ($5.95) and Dan Dan noodle
dish ($7.95), both on the refreshing cold appetizer menu. Those were a nice
counter to the richness of the fish; the Dan Dan noodles were mildly spicy,
with a mix of chili oil, peppers, and vegetables. And the mung bean noodles
were completely new to me; I’d not had them before my visit to Szechuan Opera.
They are thick, short noodles made from mung bean starch, they absorb the oil
and spices they’re cooked in, and the flavor explodes as it hits your tongue.
This article appears in May 22-28, 2019.
