Let's get down to business here; what kind of wait am I looking at on Friday night (Chinatown location)? Or do they take reservations?

I Do It Daily wrote:Let's get down to business here; what kind of wait am I looking at on Friday night (Chinatown location)?

Lao Sze Chuan, Chinatown Branch

Friday Evening Wait Times Exact, not approximate

8-minutes @ 6:15
14-minutes @ 6:45
19-minutes @ 7:08
24-minutes @ 7:56
17-minutes @ 8:32
13-minutes @ 9:05

Modify -5 minutes for rain
Modify +6 minutes for pleasant weather
Modify -3 minutes for winds over 12-miles per hour
Modify -9 minutes for earthquake

G Wiv wrote:
Lao Sze Chuan, Chinatown Branch

Friday Evening Wait Times Exact, not approximate

8-minutes @ 6:15
14-minutes @ 6:45
19-minutes @ 7:08
24-minutes @ 7:56
17-minutes @ 8:32
13-minutes @ 9:05

Modify -5 minutes for rain
Modify +6 minutes for pleasant weather
Modify -3 minutes for winds over 12-miles per hour
Modify -9 minutes for earthquake

that made my day Gary, thanks.

Har.

Also, if Monday night was any indication, those are all underestimates.

If there's a line, head to Spring World or something.

gleam wrote:Also, if Monday night was any indication, those are all underestimates.

Ed,

I thought I was abundantly clear, times are Exact, not approximate.

Enjoy,
Gary 'To the minute' Wiviott

G Wiv wrote:Enjoy,
Gary 'To the minute' Wiviott

That's what she said.


Sorry.

jesteinf wrote:

G Wiv wrote:Enjoy,
Gary 'To the minute' Wiviott

That's what she said.

Sorry.

Therefore:

If it is raining at 6:15 pm and there are winds exceeding 12 mph, time stands still. We never age, but we're always just waiting for the amuse of cabbage in fragrant chili oil to arrive. We see it coming out of the kitchen, but it never arrives at our table. A bit Sisyphean, unfortunately...

And in the extremely unlikely event that it is raining at 6:15 pm, winds exceed 12 mph, there is an earthquake and we are dining at Lao Sze Chuan all at the same exact moment in space-time, we might have entered into a time loop whereby we will be allowed to eat an endless supply of that wonderful chili cabbage and whatever appetizers have made it to the table in the nine minutes allotted, plus or minus the approximations given in the definition described above, bliss... chili cabbage, pot stickers, dry beef, ginger calamari...

This of course ignores the possibility of Spock or Scotty somehow using the dilithium crystals from the warp core to alter the space-time continuum and allow us to order an entire Szechuan meal that we can enjoy over and over again!

QED

mchodera wrote:
And in the extremely unlikely event that it is raining at 6:15 pm, winds exceed 12 mph, there is an earthquake and we are dining at Lao Sze Chuan all at the same exact moment in space-time, we might have entered into a time loop whereby we will be allowed to eat an endless supply of that wonderful chili cabbage and whatever appetizers have made it to the table in the nine minutes allotted, plus or minus the approximations given in the definition described above, bliss... chili cabbage, pot stickers, dry beef, ginger calamari...

This exact thing happens towards the end of La Misteriosa Fiamma della Regina Loana.

I salute you, fellow Umberto Eco fan! Yambo!

mchodera wrote:Yambo!

Ahem:

gourmondo wrote:Finally, no Rachel Ray imitators.

Woah, thanks for the specifics G Wiv, that must be why you're the site administrator.

I Do It Daily wrote:Woah, thanks for the specifics G Wiv, that must be why you're the site administrator.

Exactly!

jesteinf wrote:

G Wiv wrote:Enjoy,
Gary 'To the minute' Wiviott

That's what she said.


Sorry.

If you didn't say it... Gary would have....

the sleeve wrote:

gleam wrote:What we really noticed was that the slightly sticky/spicy/sweet glaze was mysteriously absent. Disappointing.

Actually, I noticed that too. It was more oily (like a small pool of oil in the bottom of the takeout container) than it used to be.

It's just been completely uneven for takeout lately, including tonight- half of the pieces were completely bland, and the other just coated in crunchy sugar. I actually like some crunch, but not like this. Oil quotient is definitely up. I think they're less careful about preparing orders for takeaway (either that, or they like packing the extra liquid / oil because they think it'll travel and reheat better).

Lamb with cumin flavors and tenderness were consummate, but had a far higher number of ma LA! szechuan peppercorns than usual, to the point where you could be conducting major maxillofacial surgery on me right now and I wouldn't notice.

We also ordered Chinese Eggplant Chongking Style, one I hadn't covered before. It actually tastes more Sicilian than Chinese, like it was poached in olive oil and garlic and diced red pepper and that's about it. Not bad, just not what we were after.

Chengdu dumplings were the only unremarkable-in-their-consistent-awesomeness item of the order. Always want to save a few for lunch since they're so much better the next day, and we never make it.

I do eat at LSC all the time (multiple times per month, sometimes multiple times per week), and they have been all over the map lately. I thought they had a remarkable day for Your Pal Will's farewell party (particularly the pork with sour pickles, best rendition I've ever had), but have had some of the most ho-hum presentations subsequently that I do worry (slightly) that even if Tony hasn't stepped back somewhat to focus on the larger restaurant group concept and real estate projects, the kitchen has less overview now than historically, and is being less exacting then we like.

This is not cause for alarm - a place with this many menu items can't have it's #1 chef for a particular dish or style there every night, or every ingredient in every proportion ready always. They're still doing a remarkable job in a time where I've noticed some other Chinatown restaurants and bakeries crank down a notch as well (though not Spring World, which I think is at its peak right now). I also haven't been there for a weekend lately, which is when I think they bring out their best.

Just came back from another fantastic meal at Lao Sze Chuan.
Entered the front vestibule a bit nervously- around 7:30pm on a Thursday- because of all the people we saw "waiting".....
No Tony (the famously genteel owner) No Tommy (number 2 man /and Black Belt/Dragon Dancer), no one handing out waiting numbers.....
So, I did what any self respecting Hungry Man would do-
WALKED UPSTAIRS!!!

Lo and behold- the land of Tables- many of them open.
A waiter soon appeared and asked "How Many?"
Held up 3 fingers-
Sat down-
sent a SMS (text message for all you technophobes) down to the rest of the crew,
and we then got set up with beers
and Chili Cabbage within minutes!

Had the Cumin Lamb dish (the Lamb was so tender and favored heavily to the Protein side versus past occasions of too much
onion , etc) that was so god, the Ma Po Tofu with Pork (when ordering the waiter asked "how much Pork you like?"-
to which I replied "not too much",
which apparently was NOT the answer he was looking for....
and later discovered he wanted to know a DOLLAR AMOUNT...
So- I asked for a "dollah-fifty worth"-
and, ya know what- it was JUST the right amount!
An order of Szechuan Garlic String Beans rounded out the meal
(oh yeah- and Tony's Chicken too!)

So next time- cut your wait time by "proactively" looking for space on the upper level independently...
Not suggesting to " jump-the-line"-
just as the boys on the Floor usta say-
looking to "get the edge"!

We went to lsc in dg on sat nite. It was our first time at any lsc. We had wonton soup, egg rolls, tonys chicken, general tso chicken, spicy beef tendon, ma po tofu, shrimp with mayo, chinese greens, garlic eggplant, lamb with cumin. Nothing really stood out as amazing! What did I miss? I will probably try it again, but I have to say that I was a little disappointed after reading all this stuff about it.

First time at Lao Sze Chuan on Sunday, as part of a Chinatown outing with Mhays and family, and it lived up to the hype.

We had the famous dry chile chicken, but even better was the dry chile beef, which, like the chicken, manages to be simultaneously tender, crunchy, and chewy. The green beans were also a standout dish. We really enjoyed the service as well; at one point, we had at least three of the women servers over at our table ooohing, ahhing, and picking up Nora, our seven-month old. Very sweet to see how much fun they were having with her.

All in all, a really good meal and a great time. Thanks, Michelle.

I love Chinatown in general, but LSC was really "on" this weekend! It was a lot of fun to go with another family, especially one with a similarly-food-obsessed member!

One slight bummer: we ordered the "spicy beef and maw," and wound up with a not-very-interesting tripe dish - the kind of tripe that comes in Pho, so I'm guessing leaf or bible tripe. It certainly wasn't spicy, though it had some nice vegetables in it, and while I've got nothing against tripe, tripe-goo-gai-pan, not so much. Tofu/clam soup was OK - but it was just tofu and clams floating around in broth on their own.

However, the green beans and the dry chili beef were, indeed, stellar - and the chicken was really good. The kids seemed to love their crab rangoons and pork buns, and Sparky even had some of the clams and tofu.

Mhays wrote:I love Chinatown in general, but LSC was really "on" this weekend!
.......
However, the green beans and the dry chili beef were, indeed, stellar
...
and Sparky even had some of the clams and tofu.

Ok, silly question. Ive been to LSC several times, and like it a lot - try and take visitors there often too. (My own fave dishes are the Lamb with Cumin - by a mile; followed by the Boiled Beef in Szechuan sauce, the Three Chilli Chicken etc).

A friend is coming in from Philly soonish, however - and he is a vegetarian. First, would LSC be something very different to the Szechuan available anywhere in Philly, thus making it as unique as it is for some other visitors? Second... what is LSC like for vegetarians? Has any vegetarian on LTH visited, or anyone been with a vegetarian?

For example, the "green beans" referred to above, and the "tofu"... are those exclusively vegetarian dishes? The greenbeans I dont think Ive tried.. the mapo tofu I have (is this the ma po referred to above, and is the Ma Po Tofu at LSC completely vegetarian, or does it have some pork infusions?) Are there any other purely vegetarian dishes at LSC worth trying? In short, is LSC a destination-type restaurant not just for lamb, beef and chicken lovers, but for vegetarians too?

c8w

Mapo Tofu has pork and lots of it, and the pot herb has pork (though this last time not lots of it) Green beans might possibly be vegetarian, I'd call and ask. Clams and tofu soup was in a non-veg broth, and they were together. If your veg friend is a pescatarian, they might do OK, I would be very careful otherwise (not that I was looking to see if the veg options were or werent, just noting that many dishes on the vegetable menu contain pork)

Mhays wrote:Mapo Tofu has pork and lots of it, and the pot herb has pork (though this last time not lots of it) Green beans might possibly be vegetarian, I'd call and ask.

You can request veggie versions of all of these.
On a recent trip to Sun Wah with vegan friends, we learned a whole bunch about just how non-veg. friendly a lot of Chinese food is. I'm not sure if this is distinctly Cantonese, but Kelly explained that most of the seemingly pure veggie dishes- spinach, bok choy, etc. are cooked with meat broths. That said, she was incredibly accomodating- asking the kitchen staff to even scrub down their woks before preparing us pure vegan versions of the veggie dishes and whipping up some impressive off menu offerings that really impressed the vegans, such as fried tofu with black fungus. I'm not sure if you have geographic restraints, but a visit to Kelly at Sun Wah will offer a thoughtful, compassionate meal that is strictly vegetarian. Oh and the Beijing duck service and Mike's chicken kept the rest of us enthralled as well. This place never ceases to amaze me.

c8w wrote:First, would LSC be something very different to the Szechuan available anywhere in Philly, thus making it as unique as it is for some other visitors?

Not if he's been to Szechuan Tasty House.

Mhays wrote:Mapo Tofu has pork and lots of it

Only if you explicitly request (and pay for) it.

Green beans might possibly be vegetarian, I'd call and ask.

LSC can prepare these & a lot of other dishes for vegetarians if requested. I had a couple of friends visit last summer, & we went to LSC. One is lacto-ovo vegetarian, we had the mapo tofu prepared without pork, and a number of the veg dishes, I recall in particular we ate the green beans & a spicy garlicy eggplant dish. We just explained to our server what we needed, & he helped us make some choices which avoided meat broth in the prep (my friend knows from experience to make sure to ask about this, even in restaurants serving western food - chicken broth creeps into a lot of vegetarian seeming soups & other dishes).

I know this will draw a lot of ire, but I gotta rant.

I like Lao Sze Chuan, don't love it, but like it enough to drive out of my way on a Monday night after spending 12 hours at school. I've enjoyed the rabbit, the beef maw, the ma po dofu and just about anything else the chefs manage to soak in red chile oil. Lao Sze Chen does a great job soaking ingredients in red chili oil, period.

I tried the chicken crack for the first time today and it was less than impressive. In fact, it was disappointing, even offensive. To call it crack is hardly misnomer or hyperbole - this chicken befits its colloquial namesake; a brief hit of savory followed by a strangely artificial (has this chicken been stepped on?) sweet/salt/spice burst evoking the .99c bbq peanuts my friends buy at JJ Peppers. 3 or 4 pieces in and the charm is faded and one-note like Tony Bennett. For a second I thought, maybe, chicharon de pollo - but it would be delusional to recall to Tony's Three Chile Chicken in synchronicity with a piece of well-fried, juicy, flavorful, marinated chicken that tastes, and feels, and looks like chicken.

"Chicken crack??"

Yeah, whatever.

Habibi wrote:I know this will draw a lot of ire, but I gotta rant.

I like Lao Sze Chuan, don't love it, but like it enough to drive out of my way on a Monday night after spending 12 hours at school. I've enjoyed the rabbit, the beef maw, the ma po dofu and just about anything else the chefs manage to soak in red chile oil. Lao Sze Chen does a great job soaking ingredients in red chili oil, period.

I tried the chicken crack for the first time today and it was less than impressive. In fact, it was disappointing, even offensive. To call it crack is hardly misnomer or hyperbole - this chicken befits its colloquial namesake; a brief hit of savory followed by a strangely artificial (has this chicken been stepped on?) sweet/salt/spice burst evoking the .99c bbq peanuts my friends buy at JJ Peppers. 3 or 4 pieces in and the charm is faded and one-note like Tony Bennett. For a second I thought, maybe, chicharon de pollo - but it would be delusional to recall to Tony's Three Chile Chicken in synchronicity with a piece of well-fried, juicy, flavorful, marinated chicken that tastes, and feels, and looks like chicken.

"Chicken crack??"

Yeah, whatever.

No ire, and thanks for the vocab injection. Consensus is that the crack has been off lately. Hopefully it'll be back like a bad habit.

point of clarification:

is the dish that's widely referred to as "chicken crack" the one that appears on the LSC menu as "Chef Tony's three-chili chicken", or the one that's called "dry chili chicken"?

I've had the latter, not the former, and thought it was outstanding.

3 chile is the one.

I've always been under the impression that chicken crack=Tony's 3 chili chicken.

That being said, given the fact that the 3-chili chicken has been lacking in heat these days, the dry chili chicken is a pretty good substitute. IIRC, the main difference between the two is that the dry chili chicken isn't as cruncy or sweet as the 3-chili chicken.

Tony's three-chili is the crack, because it's the sweetness that makes it addictive. Dry-chili is a good dish, but it's not candy-compulsive.