The Chinese Restaurant Worth the Drive Up North

"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."

"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. 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. 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"

O Mandarin in Hartsdale specializes in Sichuan cuisine under two-time James Beard semifinalist chef Eric Gao and is owned by Peter Liu, who runs another location in Hicksville and plans a Manhattan spin-off. The dining room is elegant with carved panels, Chinese antiques, and cozy booths despite a strip mall exterior. Menu highlights include a restorative cilantro tofu soup ($17); thousand-layer tofu with silky tofu skins, pork belly, celery, and jalapeños; Shanghainese rice cake stir-fry ($17) with mochi discs and optional shrimp; and gingery pork soup dumplings ($15). The Beijing duck is air-dried and roasted over several days, offered whole ($95) or half ($52), with scallions, cucumbers, hoisin, and pancakes.

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