2172 S. Archer Ave. Chicago, IL 60616
312-326-5040
http://www.laoszechuan.com/
Have you eaten the hot pot at Lao Sze Chuan? Have you? Because if you haven't, then you should. In fact, you should reevaluate your New Year's resolutions to include "Eat the hot pot at Lao Sze Chuan." I mean it. It's that good.
Even the picture is a feast for the eyes...
It's the kind of tasty goodness that makes me want to wait until the wind builds to a scream and icicles form in my nose before I make the trek to the land down under Madison Street. Then, when the Weather Channel confirms it's the month of February, I plan for a late lunch and don't eat breakfast because I want to be good and empty so that 1) I can eat more and 2) it just tastes better when I have earned it, say through short bouts of hot-pot-inspired fasting and the extreme endurance sport that is called February in Chicago. It really is that good, I'm not kidding.
There are three choices of broth, but I've only had two: The consommé and the hot spicy. The consommé is neutral, while the hot spicy broth provides just the right amount of heat, reaching that sublime balance between pleasure and sadism that is found only in Asian cuisine. Yum. Yum, yum, yum. Oh, and, um, yum.
The list of ingredient options, much like my dating history, has great variety, is at times confusing, and has several choices of meat. (And vegetables.) I can't even begin to say, "Choose X." Once I try them all (including the pork blood cake, yippee!!!) I'll make some recommendations. So far, everything I've sampled has merited worshiping Chef Tony Hu as a demigod of hot-pot-o'liciousness. I've even considered rushing home and building a shrine.
Well, after I take a nap, of course. All that hot pot makes me warmy-swarmy inside and the only cure is a leisurely nap with the cats, so the altar will just have to wait awhile.
There are three choices of broth, but I've only had two: The consommé and the hot spicy. The consommé is neutral, while the hot spicy broth provides just the right amount of heat, reaching that sublime balance between pleasure and sadism that is found only in Asian cuisine. Yum. Yum, yum, yum. Oh, and, um, yum.
The list of ingredient options, much like my dating history, has great variety, is at times confusing, and has several choices of meat. (And vegetables.) I can't even begin to say, "Choose X." Once I try them all (including the pork blood cake, yippee!!!) I'll make some recommendations. So far, everything I've sampled has merited worshiping Chef Tony Hu as a demigod of hot-pot-o'liciousness. I've even considered rushing home and building a shrine.
Well, after I take a nap, of course. All that hot pot makes me warmy-swarmy inside and the only cure is a leisurely nap with the cats, so the altar will just have to wait awhile.
1 comment:
Lao Szechuan is actually quite authentic. I went there with one of my wife's coworkers a couple of years ago, and he introduced us to things like the Tofu in Chili sauce (they use a lot of the Chili/Red Pepper sauce) and the Duck Tongue. If you have the tongue, it actually has a bone in it.
We revisted the restaurant with Fong and CDO a few months later and good again.
Back in October, I went to Shanghai, and while I was there, we went to a "Szechuan" place (ok all the restaurants are "Chinese" -- duh!) Anyway, the food was quite reminiscent of Lao Szechuan, even some of the same types of dishes. Plenty of chili sauce. I have lots of pictures it's quite decorative in it's display. That may be the only key difference in the 2 places.
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