UPDATE: Patriotic Poundage Tour - Wu Lian Ye on 48th between 5th and 6th is as good as ever! This time the crowd up front at the bar was watching war news rather than sports.
This is actually a small, three branch, chain of Chinese restaurants in Manhattan. We have eaten at the Lexington Avenue branch in the 40s and the fancier branch in the 50s, east of Fifth Avenue. They have similar, but not identical, menus highlighting a number of unusual and delicious dishes.
If you do not like spicy food, we cannot recommend these restaurants to you. One of our favorite dishes, sliced beef tendon is served in an outrageously hot spicy oil. The beef tendon itself, sliced as thinly as prosciutto, is beefy and chewy, a wonderful combination when lit up by the hot oil. Another of our favorite dishes here is the spicy string beans, with a rich, dark flavor and a fair bit of salt. We also loved the spicy tongue and tripe dish which uses the hot spiciness to unify the powerful flavors of these organ meats.
Not all of the dishes are hot and spicy. The camphor duck is rich and flavorsome, with an unusual, but excellent scent of camphor from the smoking process.
The Lexington Avenue branch is a pleasant storefront, while the uptown branch is a rather elegant place with great chandeliers. Both restaurants serve all afternoon making them great for a fiery snack or a whole fiery meal.
New York City Restaurants