Non-Spicy LSC Dishes (I know, I know)

This falls under the category of questions I'm embarrassed to ask, but I know you fine folks will come to my aid.

We'll be hitting Lao Sze Chuan tomorrow for lunch along with a family member who has a very, very low tolerance for spicy food. I'm fully cognizant of the inherent ridiculousness of taking a non-chile eater to a Sichuan restaurant, but the rest of the crowd is not to be denied and we'd still like to accommodate the less fiery palate. This poses something of an issue for me since, while I've been to LSC a great many times, I've generally focused on the spicy. I could absolutely take some shots in the dark, but I intend for this to be an educational experience for some and I'd hate to end up with cashew chicken or something like that (not to cast aspersions on Tony's cashew chicken). As such...

Any suggestions for non-spicy dishes at LSC that still exemplify Sichuan food and Tony's awesomeness? The crispy shrimp with mayonnaise are a gimme (not so much with the Sichuan, I know, but good golly, I can't resist ), possibly the lamb with cumin, but after that I don't think I've tried anything that isn't hot. Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all!

Dom,

Here are some recommendations.

mei chai hu ruo (Steamed Pork with Sweet Pickle; A11)


mei chai hu ruo in depth view


(see this post for descriptions)

I think this one is also not spicy (although that word is in the name - it's a small dish so you could get it anyway)
String beans spicy black bean sauce (208)
even larger pic

Also crispy duck, tea-smoked duck, one of the pork-elbow dishes (I think the dong-po pork elbow is spicy, but the other(s) not - ask). The lamb with cumin is spicy (somewhat).

Yu-xiang eggplant (on menu as eggplant with garlic sauce or so) - a must if you haven't had it before.

Eat for me too!

Dmnkly,

I'll second a couple of saz's choices:

Tea-smoked duck
Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce

and add a few more:

Garlic pea pod shoots
Fish fillet in black bean sauce
Shredded pork with potherb
Fried noodle (choice of meat)
Deep fried Chinese bread

And there are a couple hot pot broths that aren't spicy

Best,
Michael

HI,

Save yourself some money: do not bother with the egg rolls. They may be Steve Dahl's #2 choice, whose choices in food may not be mine.

I tried the Clams with basil in wine sauce were quite good and not spicy:

photo by gwiv


Regards,

Dmnkly,

To the solid suggestions you've received I'd add Sauteed sliced potato. A seemingly incongruous dish for Lao Sze Chuan, but the stir-fried julienned potato works surprisingly well.

Enjoy,
Gary

From the Lao Sze Chuan on-line menu
630 Sauteed Sliced Potato
631 Stir-Fried Sliced Potato with Fresh Chilli*

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. She actually did better with the couple of spicy items we got than we gave her credit for. I gave them the choice between the garlic eggplant and the string beans with black bean sauce, and they chose the string beans. Very nice... chopped fine, slightly charred, nice and salty, whole fermented black beans strewn about... nice dish. I had the tea-smoked duck pegged for another non-spicy option, but we somehow got rerouted to a specially requested version of the twice-cooked pork at the last minute... so we only ended up with one of the suggestions.

That said, sazerac, you're killing me with that pork dish. Intense, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth Chinese pork belly makes me weak in the knees. That's first on my list next time out.

Thanks again... I'll be getting back to some of these, non-spicy palate in tow or not.

In the future, try the Mongolian Beef...very good and not spicy
The Garlic Pea Pod Shoots
Orange Chicken (is a little bit)
Mu Shu Veg, chicken or beef
Pot Stickers
Combination Pan Fried Noodles...mmm mmm
and most others you can request not spicy

Dmnkly wrote:That said, sazerac, you're killing me with that pork dish. Intense, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth Chinese pork belly makes me weak in the knees.

Weak in the knees, weak in the heart arteries, either way, as Sazerac says, a superb dish.

Steamed pork Belly w/sweet pickle (A11)

G Wiv wrote:Weak in the knees, weak in the heart arteries, either way, as Sazerac says, a superb dish.

Steamed pork Belly w/sweet pickle (A11)

One thing that this picture doesn't quite capture is the extraordinary depth of flavor that bursts from the pickled potherb (?) underneath the soft slices of braised belly. There's a sweet, dark richness combined with a hint of tanginess that makes this work just perfectly. Even without the pork, this would be a great dish. The soft pork belly just puts it all over the top.

Best,
Michael

The stir fried pot herb with ground pork is not spicy but packs a garlicky wallop that is really really nice. It's my go to dish when I am not in the mood for spicy.

A11 was a winner and, by the way, was not spicy in the least. It was just really rich and satisfying.