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“Mainland-- Closed”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Asian	Midtown	Moderate	Great

It has happened. Brace yourselves. Chinese food has gone and grown up (or at least grown into the New York culinary spotlight). It is no longer the realm of 100-item take out menu ordered from on rainy nights, and by Jews all over the country on Christmas. A trend that began with China Grill in the 80s and laid dormant until JGV gave birth to 66, is now in serious reproduction mode. In the past year, it has gone from greasy-guilty-take-out to dress-me-up-and-take-me-out with Xing, Yumcha, and now this fabulous new baby—Mainland.

Designed by Morris Nathanson (Abboccato, Molyvos, Beacon), Mainland, billed as neo-traditional Chinese, is a sexy, sunken ski lodge as Zen temple. The lounge—a cozy, window-less space filled with club chairs and snuggly sofas—makes you feel as though you are at the base of a ski lift somewhere in the mountains of China, a vibe that also pervades the snug subterranean dining room warmed with wood floors, anchored by oversized plush circular banquettes, and lit with very flattering amber lighting. (If only Chinatown restaurants could get lighting like this.) The bathrooms are laid with stone tiles and have an Asian spa feel, fully equipped with a serene soundtrack that could lull you into a trance. Stay alert. You won’t want to miss dinner.

While the décor is cool, the centerpiece of Mainland is the handmade brick oven where chef Brian Young (Le Bernardin, Pop, Citarella the Restaurant, Harvest on Hudson) roasts his signature (and delicious) Peking Duck ($26/$49).

Young traveled to Beijing to study the art of Peking Duck, where he learned about its origins. The recipe dates back to 1864 in Peking, the capital of China during the reign of Qing Emperor Tongzhi. A guy named Quanren Yang owned a restaurant called Quan Ju De, which is still in existence today. In addition to the restaurant, Yang had a duck farm and a fruit farm where he grew apples and peaches. As the fruit trees were picked, he wound up with a lot of trimmings from the wood, and instead of throwing them away he used the scraps to cook the ducks at the restaurant, and so Peking duck got its start.

Here at Mainland Young aims to replicate authentic Peking Duck ritual in every way. First of all, the duck has to be cleaned a certain way to maintain the integrity of the body cavity and the skin. It must be cleaned out from a small incision underneath the wing. All the innards are pulled out through this small ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 17, 2005

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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