BryanZ wrote:Was at Lao Beijing tonight. They are offering the full Lao Sze Chuan menu. Wasn't offered to all tables, so you may have to ask.

Great to know. Will have to make a trip soon!

Spring World it was, and it did NOT disappoint. WOW.

Lao Sze WHO??
Seriously.[/quote]


I'm sympathetic. Spring World has knocked me out. It' hard to think of any other spot in Chinatown. Mrs. Trpt asked yesterday, can we go back Monday? And she doesn't usually like Chinese.

Santander wrote:

seebee wrote:Lao Sze WHO??

Tony Hu.

Set up...aaaaand point!

Nice one -

Last night we went to Lao Sze Chuan. Since the renovation is still in progress, we moved down-mall to Lao Beijing and asked for the LSC menu. My friends had been to LSC before, but this was my first time. We had dry chili chicken, ma po tofu, cumin lamb, szechuan beans, and a sole dish. The food was amazing - fresh, spicy, not too oily. Slightly annoying service as we were given the what's keeping you treatment while we were still eating.

Question: is the dry chili chicken different than Tony's three chili chicken (aka Chicken crack) mentioned on this board?

wendy wrote:Question: is the dry chili chicken different than Tony's three chili chicken (aka Chicken crack) mentioned on this board?

Yes.

stevez wrote:

wendy wrote:Question: is the dry chili chicken different than Tony's three chili chicken (aka Chicken crack) mentioned on this board?

Yes.

Though I personally like the dry chili chicken (and pretty much any other dry chili protein) better - I'm not a fan of slightly-sugary-sweet-spicy-chicken. I'm clearly in the minority - YMMV.

Mhays wrote:Though I personally like the dry chili chicken (and pretty much any other dry chili protein) better

The dry chili prawns (shell on) have become a must-have item for me at LSC - probably my favorite shrimp preparation in the city.

-Dan

Thanks for the clarification SteveZ, Mhays, and Dan. I didn't get a chance to go over the menu as my friends did the ordering. I loved the dry chili chicken so much, I just assumed it to be the notorious chicken crack (until I looked at some pix.)

The only solution is to order both next time.

From Phil Vettel, via The Stew . . .

Lao Sze Chuan (2172 S. Archer Ave., 312-326-5040), in the Chinatown Square mall, is back in business.

Lao Sze Chuan restaurant is back in business

=R=

seeing folks were heading the the Chinatown location I had to make a tirp to the DG location for lunch. I had not been here in about a year. Overall a good lunch:

hot and sour soup - pretty good
egg roll - ok
shrimp in lobster sauce - nice
pork chow fun - excellent, fatty pork, great noodles
Tony's Chicken - also really nice.

about $10 more than a typical visit to Chinesse Kitchen, but the flavors today were worth it.

I stopped by at the Downers Grove location on Monday with 70 of my closest friends (my hiking group) and we had a great dinner!

I had made arrangements in advance including bumping the count as the date grew nearer and they were more than happy to have us as Mondays are traditionally a slow night. We filled the place.

They added additional staff and I would have to say that 95% of our group was very pleased. The other 5% had some slow orders coming out of the taxed kitchen. Everyone did understand that the restaurant was under a tremendous burden.

It was a great night and everyone enjoying the food very much with many saying it was the best they have ever had and vowing to return soon.

Awesome!

Panther in the Den wrote:I stopped by at the Downers Grove location on Monday with 70 of my closest friends (my hiking group) and we had a great dinner!

I had made arrangements in advance including bumping the count as the date grew nearer and they were more than happy to have us as Mondays are traditionally a slow night. We filled the place.

They added additional staff and I would have to say that 95% of our group was very pleased. The other 5% had some slow orders coming out of the taxed kitchen. Everyone did understand that the restaurant was under a tremendous burden.

It was a great night and everyone enjoying the food very much with many saying it was the best they have ever had and vowing to return soon.

Awesome!

John, I was wondering how your dinner was going to turn out,

any stars or standouts from your meal?

I had been disappointed my last couple visits to the DG location(thats why I hadnt been back in about a year). Todays visit was real good.

jimswside wrote:John, I was wondering how your dinner was going to turn out,

any stars or standouts from your meal?

I had been disappointed my last couple visits to the DG location(that's why I hadn't been back in about a year). Today's visit was real good.

Actually I did not eat (otherwise than a few bites here and there) but at the end of the night (we closed the joint ) I ordered 'Chicken Crack' to go. That held up well in the microwave.

I was busy hosting and making the rounds. I had a few bites of My Brides Cashew Chicken and that was nicely prepared (if somewhat standard). The Shrimp Sizzling Rice soup was a delight with lots of oohs and aahs, the Chef's Special Crispy Duck was well received, the Dry Chili Rabbit was being circulated at two of the tables, and there was a dish, wrapped in a pancake that was also enjoyed. I would like to track down the last item as it did look very tasty.

I also overheard that there was Bullfrog on the menu but I do not think anyone tried that.

A group of us had lunch today at the newly reopened LSC Flagship. The place is spiffed up with new carpet, wall decorations, light fixtures, etc. The food hasn't missed a beat, with everything as good as ever. Other than a rather unfortunate choice of chairs*, the "new" LSC is every bit as good as ever.

* The new chairs are made of clear Lucite and will comfortably fit approximately 3/5 of a standard LTHer's ass and even less of some of our larger brethren's.

stevez wrote:A group of us had lunch today at the newly reopened LSC Flagship. The place is spiffed up with new carpet, wall decorations, light fixtures, etc. The food hasn't missed a beat, with everything as good as ever. Other than a rather unfortunate choice of chairs*, the "new" LSC is every bit as good as ever.

* The new chairs are made of clear Lucite and will comfortably fit approximately 3/5 of a standard LTHer's ass and even less of some of our larger brethren's.

In case anyone was wondering, Stevez' ass/chair analysis was based purely on a visual assessment--no one took a measuring tape to either the chair or any body parts of attendees that I'm aware of... at least I HOPE not

Tried a new dish today that was outstanding, Double Fried Sliced Pork with cilantro jiazhou style (dry), which was recommended by jimthebeerguy (great suggestion).

The pork was more like thick shards (i.e. strands), lightly floured and fried crispy, then stir-fried with fresh cilantro. Similar to the infamous chicken crack, Tony's 3 chili chicken, but better. The pork has the same crunchy coating as the chicken crack, but are thick shreds of meat instead of cubes. The flavor is more balanced, not as sweet as the chicken crack, with a hint of rich black vinegar. Instead of chilis, it's punctuated with cilantro for fragrant freshness.

Sorry, but we were ravenous and dug in before thoughts of digging out the cameras.

boudreaulicious wrote:

stevez wrote:A group of us had lunch today at the newly reopened LSC Flagship. The place is spiffed up with new carpet, wall decorations, light fixtures, etc. The food hasn't missed a beat, with everything as good as ever. Other than a rather unfortunate choice of chairs*, the "new" LSC is every bit as good as ever.

* The new chairs are made of clear Lucite and will comfortably fit approximately 3/5 of a standard LTHer's ass and even less of some of our larger brethren's.

In case anyone was wondering, Stevez' ass/chair analysis was based purely on a visual assessment--no one took a measuring tape to either the chair or any body parts of attendees that I'm aware of... at least I HOPE not

That's why I said approximately.

stevez wrote:Other than the new chairs which, unless you're a Chinese schoolgirl, are totally inappropriate for comfortable seating, it was as good as ever.

Unable to make lunch I picked up dinner at LSC, nicely done remodel, mural of pandas cute in a cliche sort of way and food good as ever. Tony's Three Chili Chicken, crisp, slightly sweet/spicy, meaty, moist even after a 20-minute travel time. Jim the Beer Guy's Double Fried Sliced Pork with cilantro jiazhou style (dry), a dish I had not had, hit the spot, crisp, chewy, spicy, a new arrow in my LSC quiver.

On to the chairs, ~feh~, plastic, 2/3 as large as they should be, I test-sat in one and, while it felt somewhat sturdy, the sharp hard edges were uncomfortable. A slim woman saw me wiggle in the chair and offered it was uncomfortable for her as well.

Unfortunately I'd say the chairs are here to stay, the young man at the register said they were designer chairs by Philippe Starck and "expensive"

Edit in to note: I was told there are larger chairs in the upstairs dining room, same designer, slightly larger with arms

Glad to see LSC open again.

Enjoy,
Gary

It was rocking last night at lao. I had the usual suspect's, and there was a long wait by 8:00.

From the reopening press release:

The decor has been revamped with bamboo-inspired furnishings, panda images and red accents which brings together the concept of friendship and the Szechuan cuisine trademark ingredient, chili to the restaurant creating also a more implistic, clean look.

Implistic: implied, rather than actual. See chairs.

Stopped in for lunch yesterday.

3 Chili Chicken, Boiled Beef, and Garlic Spinach. Great meal.

Thought I'd share a pic of my 3 Chili Chicken.. I know there are others out there, but i think it was captured well here (for an iPhone photo at least)

boudreaulicious wrote:

stevez wrote:A group of us had lunch today at the newly reopened LSC Flagship. The place is spiffed up with new carpet, wall decorations, light fixtures, etc. The food hasn't missed a beat, with everything as good as ever. Other than a rather unfortunate choice of chairs*, the "new" LSC is every bit as good as ever.

* The new chairs are made of clear Lucite and will comfortably fit approximately 3/5 of a standard LTHer's ass and even less of some of our larger brethren's.

In case anyone was wondering, Stevez' ass/chair analysis was based purely on a visual assessment--no one took a measuring tape to either the chair or any body parts of attendees that I'm aware of... at least I HOPE not

I was there last Sunday and two of us made the exact comment about the chairs as we sat down. I was waiting to move in the seat and hear a CRAAAAACK and end up on the floor...luckily that didn't happen.

Raccoon wrote:Thought I'd share a pic of my 3 Chili Chicken.. I know there are others out there, but i think it was captured well here (for an iPhone photo at least)

Really nice picture, I know from experience Tony's Three Chili Chicken is difficult to photograph well.

First visit today post-fire. Nicely redecorated with cleaner lines, but what is the deal with those chairs? Super late lunch, hot and sour soup, pot stickers (chewy and a little doughy but I like 'em) twice cooked pork belly and the Mrs. her usual Mongolian beef which was actually pretty good. Not much of a crowd at 3:00 p.m. on a Sunday. Glad to see them back in action.

Sorry, but I'm in the minority obviously when I say that Tony's Three Chili Chicken is overrated. The flavors are unique but Im always looking for the actual chunks of chicken, with many of these pieces not having much chicken inside the breading. It tastes like junk food to me in a sense, not very meaty at all. I'd almost rather get a chicken dish at PF Changs or even Ben Pao since at least their breaded chicken entries are filling.

FoodSnob77 wrote:Sorry, but I'm in the minority obviously when I say that Tony's Three Chili Chicken is overrated. The flavors are unique but Im always looking for the actual chunks of chicken, with many of these pieces not having much chicken inside the breading. It tastes like junk food to me in a sense, not very meaty at all. I'd almost rather get a chicken dish at PF Changs or even Ben Pao since at least their breaded chicken entries are filling.

minority perhaps, but not alone. I have never really understood the appeal.

Sure the Three Pepper Chicken might be small bits of chicken with a higher breading/meat ratio and might be akin to eating popcorn. Maybe that is part of the appeal?

To me what sets LSC apart is the attention to the sauces and gravies. From my experience they are chef inspired with a bit of imagination and just a little different from what the other restaurants might offer. This would also include being a little bolder with some of the flavors.

Do not go there expecting their standard Cantonese offering to be 'off the hook' as they fall short in that area but rather concentrate on the more regional offerings where they really shine.

Kennyz wrote:minority perhaps, but not alone. I have never really understood the appeal.

If we all liked the same things life would be boring and we'd have nothing to argue about on LTHForum.

Tony's Three Chili Chicken, count me a fan!

Lao Sze Chuan surprisingly empty at noon today. Our multi dish meal was spot-on with Mapo Tofu as good as I have experienced at LSC, tofu soft creamy, tender leek and $2 pork topping lightly charred, crisp, highly spiced.

I wonder, a rare off moment or uncomfortable chair backlash.

Enjoy,
Gary

The chairs in Downers Grove are very comfortable and there are also padded booths available.