Legend

Yes, we're on the Legend bandwagon. Back in the summer, the Times blew the lid off one of the better-kept foodie secrets in town, that this seemingly unambitious, unremarkable restaurant in Chelsea, with a menu full of dull Chinese-American dishes, has a wild Sichuan streak. Though people not in the know pass by and shrug, Chinese tourists and devoted foodies have been crowding into the bi-level space to try Ding Gen Wang's ambitious and often inventive Sichuan cooking. Classic dishes like spicy cellophane noodles with pork (a.k.a., ants on a log), Chen-du sweet potato noodles, ma po tofu, and the like do not disappoint, but the reason we'd go back in a hurry is the "new style Sichuan" menu, in particular its Chongqing diced chicken with chili peppercorns. The chicken comes crispy and salty, almost like meaty popcorn, and absolutely covered in deeply flavored chilis. Some bites ignite your mouth, certainly, but on the whole it displays a controlled heat that complements rather than crushes the dish.