A Death in the Family - Open Letter to Tony Hu

Over the last 5 years, I've championed Tony Hu and his fledgling Lao restaurant empire. My go to and send to. Since summer, I've noticed a decline both in food and service in the two Lao's I patronize most, Sze Chuan and Bejing.

This summer, an important client was less than thrilled with numerous service glitches that I made light of trying to explain it away as cultural differences. He was right though, they were unacceptable which proves my long held theory that people will accept lesser food than service. We'd been to Khan and TAC with excellent results, so it's not like this guy couldn't hang. But it was appalling what we endured. So irritating it was near comical with a left turn at Fawlty Towers, on which we remarked.

A few weeks ago at Lao Bejing, SteveZ and I had a miserable meal. 4 out of 4 dishes were not up to par, besides which service was abysmal. We left most untouched and asked for the check after nearly 90 minutes. The waiter that had befriended me over my many visits was so mortified that he took 20% off and apologized. Truthfully it wasn't worth a penny and was sorry I didn’t say as much. I’d give it a 3. I promptly Kuhdo’d and even that sucked.

Clearly, the food gods were toying with me and it was not to be.

A word. To me, a bad meal is a wasted opportunity. I’ll never get it back and am well aware of the potential heights it could’ve soared to. When endured, I literally pout like a child while it harshes my mellow.

Yesterday I went for lunch with someone that had put the Lao restaurant group on moratorium. This was their first visit back since this summer when at a large private party he'd arranged upstairs, he had what he considered to be a deal breaking issue between himself as the ersatz manager/host who added a tip onto his bill for himself, in front of him.

The return to Sze Chuan was less than triumphant.

Starters were fine. Cabbage and then beef with maw. 2 out of 3 entrees were unacceptable. Ma Po Tofu with $2 pork had a major problem with the pork. It was dry, crisp and cold. When we pointed it out, we were told that all of the pork was pre cooked and would be the same. Hard to believe but that's what we were told. When questioned further, they stood by that. I’ve had this dish 50 times without exaggeration. This was a disgrace to Ma Po’s gone by. We opted for tea smoked duck, which was terrible. Dry as the Gobi and void of flavor. Chix crack was a 5 at best.

I feel as if someone died in my family. How many great meals had I had there and now, how long am I expected to endure less than adequate? I'm well aware of chefs expanding and losing focus, it's the bane of the industry. 100% divided by 3 or 4 properties, somethings going to give and is quite obvious something has.

The less I see Tony, the more inconsistent the food and service has become. His manager at Lao Sze Chuan is ineffective, standing on the side during each of these instances, never getting involved, never making it right and in fact, the very reason behind one of the problems.

What to do? If I’d seen Tony I’d have told him, but it’s been months. I used to see him a couple times a week. If you know me at all you know I’m not shy. My principles say done but suspect my appitite won’t follow. With it’s new hit or miss status, the honeymoon is over. Sad indeed.

Tony, if you read this: Your team in place in your absence is not doing you justice. They do not have your back and it would be wise to reconsider your options, starting with your presence. Your restaurants will not run on autopilot. I understand the need to expand and to groom talent for other projects, but not before a team is in place that produces your food and service seamlessly.

I know this is a board favorite/sacred cow and we can all point to stellar meals here. I also know they’re fewer and far between and that inconsistency kills restaurants.

Thoughts?

My initial reaction is that if you feel this passionately about the turn of events, you'd find a way to get this:

Jazzfood wrote:Tony, if you read this: Your team in place in your absence is not doing you justice. They do not have your back and it would be wise to reconsider your options, starting with your presence. Your restaurants will not run on autopilot. I understand the need to expand and to groom talent for other projects, but not before a team is in place that produces your food and service seamlessly.

Directly into Tony's hands, only if setting up a short meeting with him isn't an option. I'd wager that if he's around so infrequently, he might not know exactly what's happening in his restaurant and would probably appreciate some feedback from one so endeared with his creation.

It is sad indeed, and good luck. I sure you hope you let us know how you decided to handle this.

In my experience, open letters in forums such as this one tend to be less effective than letters written directly to a company president.

It will add impact if you ask for a refund on your most recent bad meal.

LAZ is probably correct, at least statistically, as she probably has far more experience on which to draw. I have written only a handful notes directly to restaurants over the years, all in the "more in sorrow than in anger" vein, and, surprisingly, have had only a single reply of any kind. Ever.

On my first visit to Osteria via Stato there were a couple of small glitches, and one specifically involving wine service/knowledge. I thought that this could be easily corrected with training, and felt that this was a place that seemed to really be trying to provide a good experience, so I sent a note. I got quick and entirely gracious reply from the head of the wine program there.

Otherwise, I have never had so much as an acknowledgment from a restaurant to which I have complained directly. I do believe in going that route first, but I am now far more ready to call out places in public having been dissed twice (once during the meal, and again when ignored after taking the time to send a note).

Lao Sze Chuan hasn't been the same since Tony's ambitions started to spill over into real estate and embodying the cuisines of other provinces in late 2007. This came after years of being told he was the best chef and Chinese community representative imaginable by people ranging from concertmasters to ambassadors to university professors; we observed it in slow motion, and he's not exclusively to blame. I'd been eating there since year one, long before I discovered LTHForum, and thought that what I saw here - loving reviews of every dish, forays into the less familiar - could do Tony nothing but good. I even made an attempt at an illustrated full-menu push in 2008, but as the kitchen's focus started to split, so did mine. I lost interest in some of the food and the fact I'd have to coordinate meals at three restaurants to get the dishes I wanted cooked by the chefs I wanted. Planning parties in advance (specifically for days when Tony would be there to greet old friends and early proponents among us who had moved out of state) was really the only viable strategy for guaranteeing quality. To a lesser degree, going in smaller groups for lunch and focusing on the cold appetizers and "snacks" would also hint at the LSC promise. But some luster was lost.

I thought they came back a bit earlier this year; the trays they provided me for the 5th anniversary party were excellent, takeout orders were packaged with care again, my jetsetting father-in-law (who considers this one of the best restaurants in the world) was pleased to pieces by his string beans, chengdu dumplings, and orange peel beef during an early fall visit. But I've stopped cataloging every trip and order because of the frankly embarrassing swings in quality. The last two carryouts were particularly poor.

A lurching LSC is still more appealing than 90% of the Chinese restaurants in the city, but I do long for the days when Tony was omnipresent in the kitchen and the dining room. I get some of that thrill at Double Li, which I know is not everyone's wedge of turnip cake. We're witnessing part of the life cycle of a chef, restaurant, and neighborhood right here, and Tony is under the microscope of some once-enthralled, discerning, hungry people. I hope they can steam right through, but fear one less item on Tony's plate - and comments from the Chinese diners, in addition to us SPDs - are probably what is needed to bring the focus back to the tables where it all started. Otherwise, it may simply have grown into a different zodiac animal. Such is the way of things.

I'll post more on the main forum, but Xmas Eve at LSC was pretty darn good.
Note: Tony Hu was there, at the back.

There were a couple of minor service glitches, but nothing not excusable with large parties and a packed house (last app came after a gap and arrived with the first main; fruit smoothies for the spice-cautious didn't arrive for a while, but when we flagged down the staff they looked at the table without any prompting from us and said, "Oh, your smoothies -- coming right out").

The food was excellent. Not the best batch of Chicken Crack I've ever had (it's never like your memory of the first hit), but I can't fault any of the dishes.

One note: When did they start charging $1/head for rice?

You know it's hard exactly to respond on threads like this. In 2009, I have eaten about five times at LSC and twice at Lao Beijing. I guess what I would say, is that I keep on coming back. Nothing has disappointed me, although I respect the ire of those disappointed. There cannot be a right answer to this question me thinks.

I do admit having problems moving past a certain set menu, or there abouts, at LSC. We about always get the boiled beef, the la la la la la la la "spicych" chicken, and I face expulsion from my family if I even consider not getting the dry chili prawns (shell). In fact, this dish may be one of the single best dishes in the city of Chicago. And you know what competes up there with best dish, the Northern style pancake at Lao Beijing. God, what a masterful piece of kitchen work, where they toss and layer and twist this piece of breadstuffs into something flaky and crisp and towering, and yes needing a dab of chili sauce for contrast in some bites, but so damn what, it's so damn good, and there's a good reason it's on nearly every table. Maybe if I strayed along the 5,000 items on the menus at LSC and Lao Beijing (how does one abbreviate this, LBJ, LBG...), I'd find dreck. OK, sorry not dreck, but things I did not like. Really, I am not sure if there was anything I did not like at the Lao's (I've only been to Lao Shanghai once, when it first opened, and I did not much enjoy, so I'm leaving that out of my response.)

I am especially in thrall right now with Lao Beijing. I mentioned the Northern pancake above, and that with the two or so pages of "dim sum" on the menu there stand as testament that the Chinese eat bread. At least some Chinese. But all of the customers of Lao Beijing should be ordering breads, Chinese style. My family and I made a meal there not that long ago, almost entirely of the dim sums. I will tell you, I swear, that each and every one of the seven or so types of dough we had tasted different. Some were stretched thin, others possessing a thousand layers, and another thick and chewy. All of them come out of the kitchen fresh and hot and very apparently made to order.

Our one relenting relief from noodles and pot stickers and dumplings that morning, a dish of cold spinach dressed ideally with Chinese mustard. I would tell you to order that some time if not for that fact that at a recent dinner there, amidst excellent renditions of lamb with cumin, lion's head meatballs, and other goodies, the dish that stood out as the best of show, marinated cucumbers. Maybe I'm just partial to the gobs of garlic across this dish. I'm a known pickle guy too. Still, there was something so joyously joyful in this basic of basic dishes. How can you cry to Tony when he has found some kitchen staff who can do this to cucumbers?

You know what I have mourned. Not going to these places with big enough groups. Sure, I have eaten at Tony's places with groups of six and eights and at the OurPalWill farewell which was maybe 15, but I personally, am in need of working the menu. Certainly at Lao Beijing where my experiences with the spinach and the cucumbers only makes me want to befriend the tables I have seen that smartly have ordered the cold appetizer combo plates. There are many dumplings to be tried. A whole wall of winter casseroles to work through (I have had just two). Come, if we think it is dead, rejoice in its rebirth. If you find things hale and hearty, do not be discouraged. Yes, we feel your pain. We just have not felt the loss.

Interesting gossip from the Chinese community is that they think too many Caucasians are dining at LSC, and that Tony is Americanizing the food. My friend preferred Double Li, so maybe I will try it again, but only in the company of other Chinese.

My advice at LSC is to emphasize to the server that you prefer Chinese-style.

mrbarolo wrote:I have written only a handful notes directly to restaurants over the years, all in the "more in sorrow than in anger" vein, and, surprisingly, have had only a single reply of any kind. Ever.

That is surprising and a very good reason to give up on the establishments concerned.

However, I submit that asking a business for a specific action -- a refund, for example -- is more likely to draw a response than a general complaint letter.

LSC used to be a favorite - and I completely agree with everyone that it is just not the same. Sadly... the last time we went it was a table of 6 Asians (mostly Chinese) and we ordered in Mandarin - still the food was not edible.

It was a sad sad day.

Have not been to Lao Szechuan recently so can't say. But my experience with Lao Beijing a couple of weeks ago was good. All the northern dishes (fried cruller, two kinds of water dumplings, zha jiang mian, northern pancake, chive and egg moon shaped thing) were very good. There's really nothing fancy about them but they were done correctly. A mayo shrimp dish was well executed and had a good balance of flavors. Salt and pepper squid was maybe a touch salty but that is a really fine line with salt and pepper preparations. Hot and sour soup was bland and lukewarm, but probably my fault for ordering it. Greens were good. Service was decent. Did not see Tony there.

In early December, two friends of mine and I ate at Lao Sze Chuan: eggplant in garlic, Crispy Shrimp in Mayonnaise, Chicken with three peppers, and Chengdu dumplings. They were all as good as I recall. Although Tony was not there, the service was just fine. Granted we tried the standards, but I didn't notice a decline in quality.