Lao Sze Chuan vs. Double Li

20 year Chicago residents and we have never been to Chicago Chinatown. Based on research here, it seems like the top two Chinese restaurants are Lao Sze Chuan and Double Li. Since we have never been to Chinatown, we want to make this first time a good one.

Location, ambiance, service and price are not an issue (it seems like both are similar in these respects). Food is #1. Not looking for "overly adventurous" food (e.g. duck tongue, pig blood), just good food.

Which restaurant is a better first time choice?

Edit: I took out the "Who's Better?" in the title . I was just trying to see if one had the edge based on the opinion of the LTH members. Since it has taken me 20 years to make it to Chinatown, I wanted the first visit to be a good one (making a second trip a more likely outcome to try another place). It sounds like they are both very good restaurants.

Can't recommend between those two, but does the fact that this forum is named after Little Three Happiness (across the street from Double Li) suggest anything to you?

nr706 wrote:Can't recommend between those two, but does the fact that this forum is named after Little Three Happiness (across the street from Double Li) suggest anything to you?

Payoff?

plop-plop-fizz-fizz-
WOW!
Quite a "throwdown" as they say- especially being your 1st Post and all......
Just a quick note from one who's been going to Lao Sze Chuan for about 3-4 yrs now.....
and- has tried Double Li only once.
Now, before I say, what I want to say- lemme add- living in Chicago for 20 years?
and NEVER strayed down towards Cermack and Wentworth?
WOW- how deprived a life some live.....
To say THE (definitive) BEST Chinese restaurant from only 2 Szechwan style restaurants does not give proper representation to all of the regional styles of Chinese food avail in Chicago.
That said- let the "tables-do-the-talkin'".....every time (at least 2-4 times a month) we go to Lao Sze Chuan- it's busy.
So full, they need to seat folks upstairs in their "overflow Room" quite often.
Versus- when we sat in Double Li (nice food- pleasant enough owner) only about 2 other tables were occupied.
At Lao Sze Chuan- the minute youre seated- a small "amuse buce" shows up- a small plate of spicy Cabbage slaw- gratis- that to me- sets the tone for the nights heat level.
DO NOT GO HERE if your idea of "spicy" is The Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Wendys.
OK?
Girlfriend comes from Kerala- South India- where they eat chilis with their morning cereal- OK?
and.....she sucks wind over her tounge at Lao Sze Chuan.....
Spicy is their middle name.
Not that THE ENTIRE menu is that way- just about 96% of it.
I can only say- Tony Hu is a very successful businessman- who has figured out a way to attract students, foodies- and most clearly- his "countrymen" in multiples- in fact- every time theres a Trade Show at McCormick Place- I can be assured of a crowd of Chinese businessmen, crowding the tables, wearing their Trade Show badges around their neck- and happily enjoying their "Home Cookin".
That, to me- is the "proof-in-the-puddin" of any ethnic restaurant- seeing their "countrymen" in attendance.

Have fun on lth!
Great 1st post.

"DO NOT GO HERE if your idea of "spicy" is The Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Wendys."

The hotter the better...I enjoy eating hot giardiniera out of the jar (I am not sure why celery is in there, but that is a question for another post). For reference, I think Topolobampo habanero sauce is pushing my hot limit (I love it, mouth burns, then I hate it, but then I want more).

You mention that Tony Hu is a successful businessman (I am guessing owner of Lao), but I wonder why the Chinese options (outside of Chinatown?) are so limited in the heart of the city (e.g. river north, old town, lincoln park, west town, bucktown). It seems like there is a huge gap to fill.

Thanks for your feedback I'll let you know how out Chinatown adventure goes (whether you want to hear about it or not!)

nr706 wrote:Cathis forum is named after Little Three Happiness (across the street from Double Li)

Really? I had no idea - whats the story behind that? Is this common knowledge?

Commbrkdwn wrote:

nr706 wrote:Cathis forum is named after Little Three Happiness (across the street from Double Li)

Really? I had no idea - whats the story behind that? Is this common knowledge?

It's a well-kept secret known only among those who also know the secret handshake (I think someone is working on a secret handshake, right?)

But if you're nice to someone who's been around LTH for a while, you might receive a card that looks like this.

I've eaten at both, and both are great. LSC is definitely busier than Double Li. I don't take that as an indicator of quality but rather better marketing, wider name recognition and the not inconsiderable Check Please effect.

OTOH, each time that I've been to Double Li, the chef-owner has come out of the kitchen to our table to discuss our meal, explain the options on the Chinese portion of the menu and make recommendations.

As it happens, I just took a group of out-of-towners to LSC on Friday and had a very good meal: LSC is, to me, an ideal plunge for the Chinatown first-timer or casual acquaintance of Chinese food--a nice mix of authenticity and accessibility. We ate:

-Beef Maw (well, I ate; others wouldn't touch it)
-Hot & Sour soup (they ate)
-Tony's Chili Chicken
-Lamb with Pure Cumin
-Dry Chili Prawns
-Tea-Smoked Duck
-Fried Noodles w/vegetables

Obviously, "chicken crack" went over nicely, as did the lamb and the prawns; I forgot how good and underrated the noodles are here. The only disappointment was the duck, which was rather overcooked. But if you're less heat-adverse than a person in my dining party, just get the rabbit--always liked that better.

I should add that I find Double Li overrated. That garlic beef dish people rave about is gross.

My preference for a first visit to Chinatown for newbies is LSC. Even if someone in a group I've taken there gets cold feet at the last minute about some of the dishes on the menu, there's always something familiar they are comfortable ordering & its always good (my last unadventurous eater insisted on fried rice with shrimp & declared it the best he'd ever eaten) & that just leaves more chicken crack for the rest of us. Plus I've never had a bad meal or even a bad dish at LSC (maybe just one or two things I've not been completely thrilled with; I also recall the Tea Smoked Duck being one of them - not bad, just a tad overcooked for my taste).

Allow me to be a heretic and suggest that instead of trying to decide which restaurant is "better" that it just might be possible to accept that both restaurants are very good? Absent any guidance from the OP on what their Chinese food preferences and/or dislikes are it's difficult to provide much feedback as to which of the two restaurants might best fit their specific desires.

As others here have stated, go to both and decide for yourself. I doubt that you'll be disappointed by either of them.

=R=

Kman wrote:Allow me to be a heretic and suggest that instead of trying to decide which restaurant is "better" that it just might be possible to accept that both restaurants are very good? Absent any guidance from the OP on what their Chinese food preferences and/or dislikes are it's difficult to provide much feedback as to which of the two restaurants might best fit their specific desires.

This would be my feeling too, Kman... I hate the fact that our wonderful restaurant diversity is frequently distilled down to a contest for king of the hill. But in the OP's defense, the request was for a suggestion as to which establishment would be better as a first time choice, which isn't the same thing.

If you have to compare and contrast, a better case might be Lao Beijing vs. Double Li. In addition to Bejing-province cuisine, both menus have a weight towards northern Sichuan, Xian, and Shanxi, with the kind of dishes for which many in Beijing are nostalgic (the migration pattern has moved northwest), and executed by Beijing-trained chefs using selected Western techniques. The two restaurants are both recent entries in Chinatown and eager to please. While Lao Beijing's menu is more extensive, Double Li's quality has won out every time for me. No holding back on expensive seasonings, better execution of Xian and Uyghur dishes (lamb), more adventurous ma-la seafood, crispier duck, more original signature dishes like Ben's garlic black peppercorn tenderloin. About the only thing I favor at Lao Beijing is the smoked pork pancake Northern Style, implemented with elan by the former head chef from Ed's Potstickers.

Lao Szechuan has a seven year head-start on both restaurants, a much larger kitchen and ingredient pipeline, and a more specific focus on western Sichuan and Yunnan (tofus, mushrooms, tea-infused dishes) cuisine, with relatively few nods to Beijing or Shanghai. Multi-person hotpot (a Qing import from Xinjiang and Mongolia) is a major draw for the Chinese patrons. I think it's difficult to compare this venerable establishment with Tony Hu's two recent Chinatown ventures or Ben Li's entry. I will say I like the dry/three-chili chicken better at LSC, but that's just one dish.* I do also think Ben's English is better, and that he's more omnipresent, so as gregarious as Tony can be, you can get in more detailed questions about recipes and origins at Double Li.

I think there is much to enjoy at all three restaurants and no reason not to patronize and savor all. While I'd tell you to go DL over LB if you put me on the spot, LSC and DL are different enough animals that a good suggestion is moot. I look forward to you trying them out and reporting back yourself! Let us know if you need dining companions.

*largely because of the 65 grams of pure blow in every platter

I have been going to LSC for it's hot pot forever now. I definitely think that if you are going to pop your cherry on any Chinese restaurant in china town I think LSC would be the best choice. It's in the new part of china town and it's a lot less scary for new comers.
B

I would definitely go to LSC if you're a first-time Chinatown visitor. The menu is pretty extensive, and will have something for both the reticent diner or authenticity-focused one. Although, I would think if you're looking for a safer choice, where you know no one, not even the person who only orders sweet and sour pork at Chinese restaurants (and believe me, I have known many), would throw a hissy fit, I am not sure why you're not considering Phoenix. I've had dinner there, and it's pretty acceptable (I only went once, since it's not really my own personal preference- I go to LSC, Double Li, or Shui Wah if I can choose).

The only trouble with Double Li is you have to ask for the special dishes on the menus taped to the walls. They are in Chinese and many dishes there are not in the printed menu. It's worth asking for. At Lao Sze Chuan, I always go expecting to try something different and always seem to get the Boiled beef in Hot sauce. I just can't resist. At Double Li, the fish stew and spicy duck dishes are always calling to me. It's a rut but it's amazing food. Sorry I can't give you a recommendation, they are both really great but quite different.

I've been to LSC Chinatown a handful of times (to the DuPage outpost countless times) and Double Li only once. Personally, I prefer LSC. My meal at Double Li was solid rendition of black pepper beef, but not enough to make me have to go back the way that LSC's Tony's Chicken and Chengdu Dumplings do. I'm sure I'll try Double Li again at some point this summer, as parking out in front is pretty easy on Thursday nights when there is no White Sox game.