Went for an early dinner Friday, spot on again. The heat outside was blistering but inside was cool and delicious. I tried a new appetizer, cold squid in hot and sour sauce (IIRC) which was scored calamari in a red chili sauce and oil. Absolutely fantastic, the red chili counterbalancing the mild squid nicely. Soaked up the chili oil sauce with some rice, excellent. I'm so glad they've reopened.

Made our first trip tp Lao Sze Chauan last night and it was awesome! The better half had been wanting to go for a while so when we bumped in to GWIV the other day she let him know her intentions, a week later a phone call and off we went. With Mr and Mrs. GWIV and Philw and his better half as dining partners our ordering power was great. Since the 4 of us had not dined here before we let Mr Wiv do the ordering and man he did us right! The Amuse Cabbage dish I could have just eaten plate after plate of this stuff and been one happy guy. Shredded cabbage, with chili garlic paste, a little oil and something else I can;'t put my finger on. Maybe a little of the paste they make Kim chee with? Anyway i kept going back for more.
Next up was one of Gary's favorites Sliced Beef and Maw Szechuan style, liked this dish more than I expected was not as offaly as expected and was very beefy. The Pig Ears Szechuan style was my least favorite dish of the night just not liking the texture at all.
Couple of vegetable dishes next, Watercress with garlic and Chinese Eggplant in garlic sauce. these did a nice job of cutting a little of the heat of some of the dishes as they were mixed with the other dishes and white rice. Couple of Shrimp dishes next, the House Special dry Chili Prawns this was a great dish and one of the spicier dishes of the night, and the Shrimp in Mayo with walnuts, very good and rich, not something you could eat a whole dish by yourself but with a group nice to try a few and absolutely no heat. Had some pork dumplings somewhere in there and these also no spice and delicious!
As I am typing this I cannot believe we had this much food! Of course a double order of Tony's chicken with 3 chili's was in order. I liked this alot, it was not my favorite of the night but it was damn good and I could see how some people are just blown away by it. The last 2 dishes were my favorites! The Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder Xin Jang Style. This was awesome, the spicing with the cumin was almost more Indian than Chinese for me and with the fresh cilantro and jalapeno garnish, it was right on. Last but not least my favorite of the night was the Ma Po Tofu with $2 ground pork addition. Yes I am a big guy from Kansas that loves BBQ and meat, I do not eat tofu,could not quit eating this dish it was amazing! The spice was just right, just enough heat to suck you back in for more and just a little burn. The Pork was crispy and had a great charred flavor on it, the texture just complimented the silky Tofu. Even when i knew it was time to stop eating I kept going back in for one more bite of this!!
Forgot to mention we had our 3 year old who ate a ton of rice and drank some tea and she had a great time as well. The company was great and this place will not be out of the rotation for long!! If I missed anything hopefully Gwiv and Phil can correct!!
I also got to meet figmolly as she was getting some carryout so that was cool as well!

Danny

jhawk1 wrote:Last but not least my favorite of the night was the Ma Po Tofu with $2 ground pork addition. Yes I am a big guy from Kansas that loves BBQ and meat, I do not eat tofu,could not quit eating this dish it was amazing! The spice was just right, just enough heat to suck you back in for more and just a little burn. The Pork was crispy and had a great charred flavor on it, the texture just complimented the silky Tofu. Even when i knew it was time to stop eating I kept going back in for one more bite of this!!

I know exactly what you mean about this dish, Danny. It's my personal fave at LSC and to me, it represents the restaurant more than any other dish on the menu. It's greater than the sum of its parts and it's very compelling. I love that your first experience at LSC was such a positive and memorable one. We took some resto-industry friends there (for their first visit) a few months back and I think they felt the same way about it that you did. It really is that kind of place and while they do have their occasional hiccups, for me it stays special visit after visit.

=R=

I've been bummed that the official websites for the Lao group have been down for weeks - they've even dropped off Google. No way to access full, reliable menus online for planning those late-night pancake Northern-style runs (Menupages is out of date).

had a great time, here with great friends
chicken crack,& shrimp crack, just outstanding

Talked my wife into Lao Sze Chuan for dinner on Friday night... another incredible visit. My favorite dish there is the Orange Beef and it was great as always. This visit, however, we decided on trying a few new things. I'd somehow missed hearing of the Tony's three chili chicken "chicken crack" in spite of 4 or 5 previous visits, until I read about it in articles on the window while we waited for a table. Wow! That's definitely one that will always get ordered on future visits. Antoher discovery from reading the reviews/articles were the Chengdu dumplings. We also got the shrimp in mayo sauce after my wife saw on somebody else's table and asked our waitress about it. Another winner!

Made my maiden visit to the Downers Grove LSC location for lunch today.

Dry Chili Chicken was my choice, although it was hard to pick against the cumin lamb. While it's not the chicken crack, those little bites of chicken were cripsy, spicy and addicting. The little bits of ginger were an interesting addition.

I'm headed to Lao's tonight. I haven't been in a while but every time I've been it's been all sorts of awesome. Wish me luck for getting a table!

j0emv wrote:I'm headed to Lao's tonight. I haven't been in a while but every time I've been it's been all sorts of awesome. Wish me luck for getting a table!

Call for a reservation and you won't need luck.

I had lunch again at the Downers Grove LSC today, and I was glad to see it was especially busy (although admittedly somewhat annoyed that I had to wait for a table, since I had to get back to work). Even though I was in a slight hurry, they do a very good job of trying to take care of you despite the busy chaos of the room.

Today I had the Chengdu dumplings, which were very good as always, toothsome and slightly spicy, yet with a mild acidity in the sauce that cut through the rich pork in the dumplings.

The revelation, though, was the Szechuan stringbeans. I think I had these once before and they were fine, but today I decided to get them with the lunch special because I have been eating way too much meat lately, and my block is roasting an entire pig tomorrow, so I thought I should try and ease up on being a carnivore before the storm. Boy was I glad I did. The beans were cooked perfectly, nice and crinkly but still having a satisfying crispness to them. Covering the beans in an almost 1:1 ratio were little fried brown bits of what I think was garlic and some chives, along with some sugar and salt. The mix of slightly spicy, salty, crunchy, crisp, and sweet was really, really good. I could eat these things all day long and keep going after that. I told the waitress to compliment the chef, because these were the best Szechuan string beans I have ever had. I hope this was not just a certain chef, but will be a repeatable experience, because I have just found my new go-to dish there if that is the case. It is like the vegetarian version of the Dry Chili "Crack" Chicken!

I think that it is time to move on to $3 pork.

RAB wrote:I think that it is time to move on to $3 pork.

LOL, are you saying this because of our late-night visit there last night? There was something a bit odd about the ma po tofu. It tasted a bit different than it usually does, though I didn't attribute that to the amount of pork.

That said, I really thought our meal -- mostly greatest hits items -- was solid from end to end. LSC is a very reliable spot for post-bar-hopping sustenance (and excess). Someone at the table said that the dry-chili prawns may be the best shrimp preparation in the entire city and it's very hard to argue with that asssertion. Beef and maw, chengdu dumplings and mayonnaise shrimp were also all stellar. 3 chili chicken suffered from a bit of over-coating but was still tasty. Pot herbs and szechuan green beans were both excellent, too.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

RAB wrote:I think that it is time to move on to $3 pork.

LOL, are you saying this because of our late-night visit there last night? There was something a bit odd about the ma po tofu. It tasted a bit different than it usually does, though I didn't attribute that to the amount of pork.

My post from the table was probably better suited for Twitter than LTH (oops). The pork portion seemed skimpier that I remember having it in the past. Inflation?

ronnie_suburban wrote:That said, I really thought our meal -- mostly greatest hits items -- was solid from end to end. LSC is a very reliable spot for post-bar-hopping sustenance (and excess). Someone at the table said that the dry-chili prawns may be the best shrimp preparation in the entire city and it's very hard to argue with that asssertion. Beef and maw, chengdu dumplings and mayonnaise shrimp were also all stellar. 3 chili chicken suffered from a bit of over-coating but was still tasty. Pot herbs and szechuan green beans were both excellent, too.

Agreed on all counts. We weren't blazing any trails at LSC, but the food was very satisfying and certainly among our best options at that point in the evening. Especially those dry-chili prawns, which might just deserve being listed in Best Thing You've Eaten [Lately].

--Rich

That said, I really thought our meal -- mostly greatest hits items -- was solid from end to end. LSC is a very reliable spot for post-bar-hopping sustenance (and excess). Someone at the table said that the dry-chili prawns may be the best shrimp preparation in the entire city and it's very hard to argue with that asssertion. Beef and maw, chengdu dumplings and mayonnaise shrimp were also all stellar. 3 chili chicken suffered from a bit of over-coating but was still tasty. Pot herbs and szechuan green beans were both excellent, too.

I had lunch there today again, and happened to get a couple of the typically stellar items listed above (beef and maw and szechuan string beans). Both were as good as the last time I had had them (although the string beans somehow lost a touch of their magic, maybe just because the first time will never be recreated). As many times as I have been there, I don't think I have had the dry-chili prawns, so that will be on my list for the next visit.

had your family thanksgiving dinner at lao sze chuan. it was outstanding
had to wait about 20 min.
started with
chili prawns,shrimp with mayo (shrimp crack),tony's chicken(chicken crack)3 chili
bamboo chuts & garlic sauce,steamed spinach,dim sum(pork)
&fried rice
my son was in from shanghi and he loved it

Went to Lao Sze Chuan Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It was an absolutely killer meal amongst a week of eating, featuring Xoco, Hot Doug's, Al's Beef, & The Publican. LSC was the most memorable meal and not simply on a value basis. Our experience was great, largely due to the guidance of this forum.

We started with chengdu dumplings, dan dan noodles, fire slaw, and drinks. Then they brought chicken crack, shrimp with mayo, potherb, garlic pea shoots, lamb with cumin, twice cooked pork, and the chili smelts (not sure what they call it on the menu). The food came out super fast. Each dish was well put together and tasty. It was our best meal in Chicago. We'd go there again in a heartbeat. The place is a gem.

hey tom next time your in town give me a shout.

we walked the plaze there for about 15 min. &it was packed ,went in the book store,& bakery .
bought some stuff there.

Last Saturday after spending some times at Binney's (formerly Sam's) on Marcy St, we had Al's beef at Taylor St (can't believe that this was my first visit to Al's!) and then went to Lao Sze Chaun for take out back to Wisconsin.
Ordered beef maw(tripe dish) Tony's Chile Chicken and Yu Shiang Pork. Now maybe the Chef thought we were from Sichuan because of the beef maw on the order but not only was everything really really good but the hottest i have ever had for the Chicken and Pork, of course it just could have been the Chef that day.
An absolutely fabulous rendering of each dish which is why I keep going back! There is nothing even close in Wisconsin-Dick

Count me in the out of town fan club,( although I've been to LSC multiple times) Had Ma Po Dofu, Chegndu Dumplings, and the Ground Pork with Sour Pickle. That may be my favorite Ma Po ever. I also tried the new place next door on Wed night. Seemed like pretty standard Cantonese with a focus on fresh seafood and also a BBQ area inside. I got the Roast Pork and it was served with a side of sugar, which was a bit different from my experience.

moose734 wrote:I also tried the new place next door on Wed night. Seemed like pretty standard Cantonese with a focus on fresh seafood and also a BBQ area inside. I got the Roast Pork and it was served with a side of sugar, which was a bit different from my experience.

Can't remember the name of the new place just east of Lao Szechuan, though I noted two things when I walked past. Seemingly nice decor and a lineup of squeeze bottles containing Chinese mustard and sweet and sour sauce. I reflexively registered American/Cantonese and put a visit on the back burner, though I like American/Cantonese as well if not better than the next fellow.

Interesting about the roast pork and sugar, reminds me of the time I watched a Vietnamese grandmother add about a third of a cup of sugar to her pho.

Moose, do you remember the name and how was the rest of your meal?

Enjoy,
Gary

I had a business call in Westmont yesterday and drove south on I-294 and got off at Ogden. I figured I'd find a lunch place before my meeting. I skipped all the fast food joints and discovered LSC in Downers Grove. Having grown up in Hyde Park and South Shore and moving north some 50+ years ago, the western suburbs are sort of unknown to me.

The parking lot was fairly full so I decided to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed. I ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce. Loaded with shrimp. Great flavor with just the right amount of heat. A bargain at something like $5.95 including soup, egg roll and fried rice.

I picked up a business card and found out they have five locations in the Chicago area and one in CT. Since I feel we lack quality Chinese restaurants in the Highland Park area where I live, I hope they consider expanding into my neighborhood soon.

I checked them out today on the LTH Forum and found this thread. Little did I know there would be 13 pages of comments.

I've led such a sheltered life.

Regards,
GP Bob

Good lunch at Lao Sze Chuan in Chinatown today with Mrs. Trpt, spicy sour squid (I'm loving that more and more), the hot and sour soup was right on the mark, rich and deep flavors. Twice cooked pork was stellar, if there is a limit to pork belly I haven't reached it yet. Lao Sze Schuan continues to provide a high quality meal at a reasonable price.

Had lunch here today with Fifille and my son after the Chicago Auto Show. We had chili crack chicken, dry chili prawns, sichuan string beans, and orange beef. Everything was very good and was a reminder that we need to put LSC back into a more regular rotation.

We also had a taste for Lao on Sunday evening. Had a reservation for 7 at 5;30 and made a request for downstairs. Arrived early at ten after to check in and the lady at the door said upstairs. I told her we made the reservation to be seated downstairs. She then ran over and kicked the people out who were about to be sat in the large round in the front corner. That was comical but I am glad we checked in when we did. I am bringing this up because the same thing happened last time as well only we got stuck upstairs. Which really was not so bad. Our previous time at Lao Beijing we were stuck upstairs and the waiter left half our food in the dumb-waiter for over 10 minutes so we were a little leary...Well on to the food last night.
The dry Chili Chicken, Twice cooked dry Chili Pork, Cheng Du Dumplings and eggplant in garlic sauce were all awesome as usual! A couple new dishes a stir fry with Shrimp, Scallop and Squid as well as festival of Mushrooms in oyster sauce were good but not great.We also had a soup I can't remember, a rib dish with mashed rice and Jumbo Prawns. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp we ordered never showed but we were to full to even ask for it. The quote of the night was. you never get a bad dish here! Even if it is something you don't care for it is just a matter of taste not because it is bad. This is so true here the food has always just shined. It doesn't matter if your server does not understand a word you are saying just give me some of that spicy goodness and set back and enjoy!!!!

Praise for Lao Sze Chuan and praise for the LTH Forum.

I went for a second visit to Lao Sze Chuan to get Tony's Three Chili Chicken and Crispy Shrimp with Mayonnaise. Went for dinner because these items are not available at lunch, which was my first visit. I brought my wife along and she wanted egg rolls and, upon seeing the staggeringly complex menu, with 457 menu items and things like 'Intestines with Szechuan sauce' and 'Stewed Trepang with Fungus' simply blurted out 'Orange Chicken'.

So we got it as take out and took it all home and it was all amazing. My wife was very impressed, loved the Three Chili Chicken and the Mayonnaise Shrimp (which she initially thought sounded 'gross') and was surprised by how spicy and rich the Orange Chicken was. As she said 'at most Chinese restaurants, it is an overly sweet and goopy mess' but this was rich and spicy and not too sweet. And the egg rolls were the best I have every had. I am sure I tasted cumin and other spices in there, which made them so much better than your average eggroll, which is just a deep fried thing with some possibly crunchy things inside....and no real flavor. So you slather on some sweet stuff. These needed no slathering.

So I told my wife that this was why she often finds me poring over LTH Forum threads - to be able to find the really great Chinese restaurant (or any kind of restuarant) out of the thousands that you drive by all the time that are awful, or just boring. To be able to make each meal as good, maybe great, or at least as interesting, as possible.

Can I get a t-shirt?

p.s. Has anyone tried the Stewed Trepang with Fungus?

A pregnant friend called me with a craving emergency, said she needed to eat dumplings, so I took her to Chinatown last week for an impromptu dumpling-a-thon. She declared the Chengdu dumplings and pork potstickers at LSC (along with XLB at Tao Ran Ju) the best dumplings she had ever had. LSC (and TRJ for that matter) seemed to be at the top of their game. Friend ate a lot of dumplings.

Ate there again on thursday. Love this place every time I go. The shrimp with mayo and the cumin lamb are amongst my favorites here!

Got take out here for the first time and man was it awesome.

All of the items that I've read about were great; chengdu dumplings, chicken crack.

However, due to some slight language barrier issues we ended up with the ground pork with rice noodles, which while I didn't mean to order it, turned out great. Very very spicy, but incredibly tasty. Not sure if anyone else has tried this, but I would recommend it.

All in all, I only went here because of lth, and I ended up being very satisfied.

Thank you

The Chinatown Lao was lousy last Friday at Lunch.
Did one of those fatal errors of talking up a place to 3 co-workers.
Said it had good reviews mentioned and I mentioned this web site.
First we sat down and had to ask for the lunch menu.
My friend notices a hair on his plate.
Our paper napkins look like they had been splashed with water, let dry, and still put on the table.
Service was awfully slow with apps and drinks
Hot and sour soup was a brown muck. disgusting.
The tony's chicken was the only good dish.
Orange beef tenderloin was not tender. Bread much
I ordered moo shu shrimp. Some things should not be moo shued. Shrimp being not a good combo. Ok my bad, I had a last minute catholic thing. I usually do mu shoo pork. But at some point these rest. should serve only good combos. Don't have to offer every meat under the sun for each dish.
Finally the one vegetarian in bunch had to wait 30 minutes for her dish.
Really.... stir fried vegs takes 30 minutes?
Bad experience, I lost credibility, don't think I will be able to go to that chinatown location again. It really sucked for lunch this Friday. March 25.
I do have to remind myself that I have had good meals there in the past, but ... can't recommend it again.
Better options abound.

lhbeetle wrote:The Chinatown Lao was lousy last Friday at Lunch.
Did one of those fatal errors of talking up a place to 3 co-workers.
Said it had good reviews mentioned and I mentioned this web site.
First we sat down and had to ask for the lunch menu.
My friend notices a hair on his plate.
Our paper napkins look like they had been splashed with water, let dry, and still put on the table.
Service was awfully slow with apps and drinks
Hot and sour soup was a brown muck. disgusting.
The tony's chicken was the only good dish.
Orange beef tenderloin was not tender. Bread much
I ordered moo shu shrimp. Some things should not be moo shued. Shrimp being not a good combo. Ok my bad, I had a last minute catholic thing. I usually do mu shoo pork. But at some point these rest. should serve only good combos. Don't have to offer every meat under the sun for each dish.
Finally the one vegetarian in bunch had to wait 30 minutes for her dish.
Really.... stir fried vegs takes 30 minutes?
Bad experience, I lost credibility, don't think I will be able to go to that chinatown location again. It really sucked for lunch this Friday. March 25.
I do have to remind myself that I have had good meals there in the past, but ... can't recommend it again.
Better options abound.

It definitely happens but I've had a really good streak there lately, including a few later-night meals. If you really want shrimp at LSC, the dry chili prawns and the mayonnaise (orange) shrimp have both been very reliable items, in my experience. In fact, the dry chili prawns may be the best shrimp preparation in town.

It does suck to talk a place up and then have it let you down, though, especially with co-workers. I hate when that happens and am still living a few of those down at my office.

=R=