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Cantonese cuisine is like a highwire act without a net. Unlike the Szechuan or Hunan regional styles, there are no palate-scorching chilies and dense sauces as fallbacks. Located in the Manhattan Bridge’s shadow, Canton has pulled off this act since 1977. Its blonde wood paneling, blue banquettes, Chinese watercolors, and soft lighting are a refined respite from the neighborhood’s usual formica and fluorescence. While the Cantonese are famous for eating anything that flies or walks, fear not. Canton sticks to staples like beef, chicken, pork, and vegetables that are fearsomely fresh and mildly seasoned. The seasonal fish and seafood are often steamed with just a bit of soy sauce, ginger, and scallions or crispy fried with salt and pepper. Hot and sour soup teems with delicate tofu cubes and minced pork, its soothing broth enlivened with vinegar and a few discreet drops of chili oil. The Triple Delight unites plump jumbo shrimp, velvety chicken, and savory roast pork in a subtle oyster sauce. Duck breast is breaded and fried tawny brown; its sauce hints of soy and is buoyed by toasted almond chunks. Ginger scallion noodles are pleasantly flavorful and chewy. At Canton, a walk on the mild side can be exhilarating. — Michael Anstendig

Fish and seafood dishes are often market priced.

Canton’s ginger scallion noodles, $13.95; wor sui app, $22.95; Canton’s triple delight, $25.95