HUNAN Village, despite its name, has branched out into Sichuan, with the installation of a new chef. Although old favorites still dot the menu, serious diners should be prepared to discover a few new tastes. The key to dining here is first to confer with the owner, Paul Chou, or with one of his helpful servers. Always searching for new ingredients, Mr. Chou is passionate about food and is dedicated to inventiveness, a much prized tradition in Chinese kitchens. It has been said that the art of Chinese cooking is the art of mixing, or combining careful proportions of whatever ingredients happen to be at hand. Hunan Village mixes with the best of them.
Because this kitchen is never static, the printed table menu sometimes falls behind what is available. Thus a fillip on a dish or an ingredient that has just come into season can be learned only through discussion. In addition, dishes are often named after the first one or two ingredients. A dialogue might reveal that chicken in white sauce also includes tender cuts of lettuce root (subtly, hauntingly and uniquely delicious), carrot and roasted garlic. Or that winter melon soup is showered with white chives and threads of egg white and chicken. Pea pod shoots, silk squash and water spinach are among ingredients on seasonal standby.
Sichuan food can be warming and spicy. A variety of chili peppers, ranging from mild to incendiary, and fragrant, piquant Sichuan peppercorns (really dried berries) constitute the essence of Sichuan style. The outcome of the ''mix'' varies. For example, on one visit, these peppers were used in all of eight dishes; yet every one was distinctive -- surprisingly mild to pleasantly numbing -- without redundancy of fragrance, spiciness, pungency or heat.
For a starter, a group of diners could share a cold appetizer platter of beautifully arranged slices of duck, minced chicken edged in a mere wafer of ham fat, sublime spiced sesame beef, shrimp, tongue and scallops.
Other possibilities include shredded chicken salad Sichuan style (so often watered down into ''cold sesame chicken'' elsewhere), Sichuan noodles (request a small portion for a starter) and lettuce root salad, the crunchy root and stem of lettuce similar to romaine. Daintier portions are available for individual tastes.
Pretty, festive chicken-filled dumplings in delicate, gauzy wrapping came sprinkled with red oil.
Seafood hot and sour soup was warming, but it might have been better with less vinegar.
Just a tad too salty, blossom chicken was worth another try. The cunningly cut chicken was breaded and deep fried until it bloomed marvelously to resemble flower petals. Some diners will like light, mild-flavored minced chicken crepes with wood-ear mushrooms. Duck, much richer, came pressed with sweet cashews.
Large shrimp in chili sauce were cooked perfectly, as were gorgeous supple scallops treated to a little chili tempered with soft, sweet garlic. Tofu added a neutral note to balance the spiciness of whole sea bass, and very lightly fried soft-shell crab was laced with yet another variety of Sichuan-inspired sauce.
Crunchy cucumber contrasted appealingly with frilly white mushrooms and soft silk squash. And a medley of braised wild mushrooms also made a lovely side dish.
Presentations were artful, and much of the food was carb friendly, as rice seemed appropriate with only a few dishes, for example, the sauced whole fish. Even then, diners can ask for a special mixture of steamed organic rice and red beans, equally suitable for vegetarian diets.
Consider saving rice for a wonderful dessert: sweet fermented-rice soup. It's much lighter than, say, rice pudding. The usual cold fruits are available as well.
Hunan Village
1828 Central Park Avenue,
Yonkers. (914)779-2272.
EXCELLENT
Atmosphere -- Touches of gold on red spark the handsome dining room and separate bar. Excellent, accommodating service.
Recommended dishes -- Lettuce root salad, winter melon soup with white chives, Sichuan-spiced sesame beef (cold), Sichuan-style noodles, ''blossom'' chicken, chicken dumplings in red oil, shrimp with chili sauce, whole sea bass with tofu, chicken in white sauce with lettuce root, sautéed cucumber and silk squash, duck pressed with cashews, sweet fermented rice soup (dessert).
Prices -- Lunch and dinner à la carte, main dishes, $9 to $23.
Credit cards -- Major cards.
Hours -- Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 10:30 p.m.
Reservations -- Recommended for peak hours.
Wheelchair access -- Street level.
The Ratings -- Excellent. Very good. Good. Satisfactory. Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction primarily to food, with ambience and service taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
Review published: Nov. 21, 2004
