Szechuan Chalet (CLOSED)

I ate here several times when they first opened and found it very good. I returned after more than a year and was greeted immediately as an old friend. This time, the upscale dinner and service were excellent. We had the crab ball covered in spinach and the pork dumpling with red sauce as appetizers and then the whole fish and a chef special chicken dish and all the food was delicious, beautifully prepared and presented by attenditve, friendly servers. I was happily impressed and will be returning much more frequently.

The szechuan pork dumpings, ma po tofu, and heavenly chicken were all delicious! Spicy and tasty! Service was excellent, and value was very good. A rare find on the Upper East Side!

We have ordered three times and eaten there once and each time has been excellent and better than any Chinese on the UES. The Braised Flounder Filet with Napa Cabbage and Chili Oil was wonderful but seriously spicy. The chilies are sprinkled on top and we scrapped a some off but hen enjoyed it. They were really nice to our 3 year old daughter. We had the San Bei and loved it. Everything was fresh and tasty.

Delicious food, particularly the pork with Peking sauce, prawns with ginger and scallion, or prawns with cashews. The food is not only delicious but beautifully presented. Leaves other Chinese restaurants in the dust. Also, I have gone on more than one occasion with my elderly mother. They could not have been more polite or attentive.

I absolutely LOVE this place. Great Szechuan food! I can't get enough of their Diced Chicken Sauteed with Three types of peppers, such a spicy and firey dish. The other standards such as mapo dofu & dan dan mien are also wonderful. The staff always recognizes me, and they are so welcoming, attentive & unobtrusive. The lunch specials are such a great value, under $10 for a whole meal. If you're unsure of what you want to order, they are great with suggestions.

We ordered San Bei Chicken (listed in Chef's special) at this restaurant today. It turned out to be a big disappointment. San Bei Chicken (can be translated something like three cups Chicken) is a simple and classic Chinese specialty. Its name comes from the way it is prepared, using three cups of different special sauces to cook it. The fresh basil leaves are the essence of the dish. Although they describe the dish correctly on the menu ("chicken simmered with fresh Chinese basil in special soy sauce and sesame oil wine"), we don't think the cook has a clue to prepare this dish. He did not even give a hint of basil leaves, but a grab bag of irrelevant ingredients (not very fresh either) instead. We are not fussy about what we eat as we know we did not order a gourmet meal. But, the way they prepared the dish is irresponsible and insulting to Chinese cuisine. If they don't know how to do it, they should remove this item from their menu.

How can szechuan food be so tasteless and bland? the praised dumplings gummy and flavorless.. the special shrimp recommended by waiter as Jumbo shrimp were no more than large shrimp and at $20 for 4 a ripoff. unlike ny times review my party and I found it disappointing, overpriced and not much better than the average takeout.