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Wu Liang Ye's setting is improbable—a second floor of a Midtown brownstone facing Rockefeller Center, complete with crystal chandeliers and gilded moldings. The immense Chinese watercolors that enliven the walls aren't entirely convincing, but the kitchen knows what it's doing. The style is Szechuan, a region renowned for spicy dishes that are often braised, sautéed, roasted or stir-fried. Garlic, ginger and soy sauce are refrains, as is the notorious Szechuan peppercorn. Ironically, the latter is a fragrant berry of the prickly ash tree; it's not a true pepper. The real heat comes from chili peppers. The menu is typically wide-ranging, with a handful of unusual dishes, like salt-baked frogs, sautéed duck's tongue, and poached rooster. Szechuan pork dumplings are bathed in a roasted chili vinaigrette that packs a punch. Chef's Ma Paul tofu marries silky bean curd with ground pork in a chili sauce fortified with leeks, scallions, and black beans. Double-cooked fresh bacon, which is first boiled, then stir-fried, gets a lift from leeks, chili peppers and spicy long green peppers. Not everything blazes—camphor tea smoked duck is mildly smoky and mercifully chili-free. Whatever you order, you can be assured that you're getting authentic, excellent Szechuan food without making that hectic trip downtown. — Michael Anstendig

Szechuan pork dumpling with roasted chili vinaigrette, $6.50; chef's ma paul tofu with minced pork, $11.95; double cooked fresh bacon with spicy capsicum, $15.95; half-order camphor tea smoked duck, $19.95