Profile

Cheap, ten-minute meals abound south of Canal Street, as do worn, pink-tablecloth-outfitted dining rooms catering to soup-and-dumpling tourists. But the number of family-friendly, polished Chinese banquet halls has dwindled in Manhattan. Perhaps that explains Amazing 66's popularity with the Cantonese-speaking population. On weekends, large filial parties jostle at the doorway for tables in a spotless, brightly lit bi-level restaurant where the kitchen turns out platters of elegantly sauced Cantonese dishes, such as a sizzling tin casserole of giant, starch-tossed oysters sautéed with spicy ginger and finger-length scallion. Pea shoots wear a silky crown of sauteed rounds cut from the thick stalk of the phallic king oyster mushroom. The menu covers an impressive array of fauna, from duck's tongue to lamb, but seafood like conch, live eel, whole lobster, and tender prawns are the main draw. Certain dishes must be preordered, including the house-special crispy chicken stuffed with multicolored sticky rice and chopped Chinese sausage then presented with its head and tail intact. — Ganda Suthivarakom

Private space downstairs is available for groups of 15 to 60 people.

Barbecued honey spare ribs, $8.95; fresh oyster with ginger and scallion, $8.95; shrimp with black bean sauce, $13.95