Some like it hot?
Another legitimate Sichuan find in the city on West 37th Street — spacious two story Cafe China.
Featured here are:
Braised Beef in Red Soup. Slices of boiled beef, wood ear mushrooms, napa cabbage, glass noodles, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns in oily heat hot and spicy hot broth hit all the right spots raising the temperature at the back of my head. Love that feeling. No words — perfection.
Spicy Fish Fillets. Crunchy deep fried bites of sole were not that spicy — just pleasantly salty. But those charred bits of dried cayenne peppers and Sichuan peppercorns were simply the best. They are my popcorn and also an excellent tool to practice a new chopsticks hold — currently retraining myself from my favorite “shovel” technique to a more civilized three-finger hold.
House smoked tofu with peanuts and fermented soybeans. We ordered it because I have been craving stinky tofu ever since Taipei. This tofu version was firm, chewy, salty, and smoky. Not the same funk, crunch and cream as the Taiwanese gem but also very good, just different. Note to self — plan a trip to Elmhurst.