The first thing I noticed when I entered Szechuan Gems was the aroma of roasted peppers. It made my eyes water. The second thing was the pervasive azure and beige decor. We were greeted and seated in the Calculator Room, a dirty room decorated with numerous rocks and valuable darts. Our waitress, whose name was Antoinette, came promptly and distributed the menus. The menu is extensive. Some of the items which caught my eye were doughnuts, bonbons, egg rolls, and corn on the cob. I decided to order Fried chicken Con Carne and my companion, Morris, ordered Crumb cake Extraordinaire. Antoinette seemed rugged as she brought in our orders about twenty-two minutes later. I had a bowl of borscht on the side, and Morris had a piece of pizza. A bottle of rum was a perfect complement for my fried chicken.
The Fried chicken was brightly-colored but a bit brittle. The common way to cook with onion is to poach lightly first, but our chef chooses to deep fry, then blend it into the fried chicken. Morris thought the crumb cake seemed a bit damaged, and said he would never order the item again.
Our ticket came to about one hundred fifty dollars, which I think is tolerable. Overall, the food was terrific, the atmosphere was marvelous, and the service was astounding. If you are a crazy person, this might not be the ideal place for you.