Joy Luck Buffet

Though it is indeed a standard-issue Chinese buffet, right down to the pans of quivering Jell-O squares, Joy Luck also offers a menu of traditional Szechuan cuisine: a roster of meat, seafood and vegetable dishes liberally seasoned with chiles and Szechuan peppercorn. The latter is like no other food; along with a floral aroma and lemony flavor, Szechuan pepper imparts a tingling sensation to the mouth. Here it amps up such dishes as spicy beef (a soup) or the dried-fried chicken to levels of exquisite intensity. Everything from tripe to kidney to intestines is on the menu here. Be sure to try the hot-and-sour noodles, a spicy, soul-salving soup.