One of Westchester’s best Chinese food destinations is O Mandarin, the Hartsdale restaurant where Sichuan dishes steal the show courtesy of two-time James Beard semifinalist chef Eric Gao. The strip mall exterior gives way to an utterly elegant dining room with carved panels and ceilings, Chinese antiques, and cozy booths. Owner Peter Liu also runs a location out on Long Island in Hicksville, and there’s a spin-off opening in Manhattan soon.
What to order
- The cilantro tofu soup ($17) is a restorative bowl that is the answer to chilly temperatures or feeling under the weather.
- The thousand-layer tofu is one of my favorite new dishes ever — the silky, bouncy-in-your-mouth tofu skins are the stars of the brightly flavored dish, rounded out with bits of pork belly, plus celery and jalapeños for some spice.
- The Shanghainese rice cake stir-fry ($17) has chewy discs of mochi, along with broccoli, mushrooms, and peas; I added shrimp for some texture.
- Don’t skip the dumplings: the gingery pork soup dumplings ($15) are classically juicy.
Take note
Expect long waits during busy dinner hours and holidays. If you find yourself with some time to kill before getting seated or picking up your takeout order, duck into the next-door H Mart for some shopping.
Insider tip
The Beijing duck is a time-intensive process for the kitchen, taking several days to air-dry and roast the poultry. O Mandarin has two ways to enjoy the meaty array, complete with scallions, cucumbers, a hoisin sauce, and flour pancakes. The $52 half-portion comes with two to three servings; the $95 full duck is enough for three to five people. It’s worth adding the extra crepes for $5. And luckily, you don’t have to preorder this poultry dish.
