Lao Sze Chuan: Binkin in Chicago, Day 1

First of all, I would like to thank all the LTHers who helped make my visit to Chicago a really wonderful one. I don't think I've ever received a welcome like that in any other city. Special thanks to CrazyC, for chauffering me around; asami, for lending me an umbrella (which I forgot to give back - if you PM me your info I can mail it to you); Rene G, for the CTA map; and everyone who came out to eat and keep me company.

There are a few reviews already on the LSC dinner organizational post, but I thought I'd post here.

When I arrived in Chicago I expected there to be three or four people at the LSC dinner; I was quite surprised when we turned out to be a party of sixteen! I am not the most socially ept person there ever was, but everyone was really friendly and I think we had a great time.

We divided into two tables, Spicy and Not-So-Spicy. I elected to sit at the Spicy table. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera, because I was sick of carrying things around and I figured someone else would. Alas, that wasn't the case, so there are no photos. I'm hoping I have remembered all the dishes; here goes nothing.

1) Spicy cabbage - This was already on the table when I arrived (late). I'm sorry I don't know who ordered it. I really enjoyed this, but then you could do pretty much anything with cabbage and I'd love it. As I recall it was slightly sour and fairly hot.

2) Beef tendon - I'd never eaten beef tendon before (I have textural issues with unfamiliar food). It was a little bit crunchier than I would have liked, but I really loved the way it turned gelatinous as it sat in my mouth. I believe this must have had sichuan peppercorns, because I think I experienced the ma la effect for the first time, and it was a beautiful thing.

3) Pig's ear - I only ate a small piece of this, for the textural reasons mentioned above. A little too challenging for me, but I think if I learn to like beef tendon I can learn to like pig's ear.

4) Three(?) chile platter - Rene G suggested we order this. It was good; more fruity pepper taste than anything, to me.

5) Lamb with cumin - I'm not a huge fan of cumin, and this was definitely cumin-errific, but I still thought it was a well-executed dish.

6) Ma po tofu - as has been discussed on here before, this was really delicious. The tofu was wonderfully soft and pillowy.

7) Green beans with dried shrimp - The green beans were cooked perfectly for my preference.

Tony's three-chile chicken - Oh. My. God. This would be my new favorite snacky-junk food in the world if I lived in Chicago and had access to it. The chicken was tender and flavorful and just uunnf. Three votes yes for the three chile chicken.

9) Pork and tofu in a nabe-type pot - The pork was delicious; I think it was pork belly?

10) Salt and pepper seafood - this was the only disappointment for me in the dinner. The breading was too heavy and the seafood seemed overdone to me - I had fish, squid, and a scallop, all of which were a little tough. It came out last, so it could have been an end-of-night error.

I hope I remembered everything, and I'm sorry the descriptions aren't better. I realized when I got back to the hostel that I hadn't brought a pen and notebook with me, which is why you'll probably see posts about the other eating I did today, while I can remember it.[/url]

I forgot to add that we went to Mario's for Italian ice after dinner. I had the pina colada, which was quite good.