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I’ve been going on and on about the changing landscape of Chinatown—everything’s going Sichuan. What I didn’t expect was a real Sichuan restaurant to open in monochromatic Lincoln Park, serving all sorts of delights like dry chile chicken, double-cooked pork intestine, and stewed rabbit Zigong-style.* Chengdu Impression took over the space once occupied by Jia’s, which served sushi and a mishmash of pedestrian things like orange chicken, Mongolian beef, and sweet-and-sour pork. The new owners kept some of those dishes on the menu, but that did little to alleviate the displeasure of aggrieved Yelpers, who’ve been calling the wahhhmbulances about all the spicy red oil, salt, and bony duck chunks.
- Mike Sula
- No tigers were harmed in the making of these peppers.
How do you say no to a dish called “Tiger skin pepper”? These remind me quite a bit of one of my favorite things at Lao Hunan—”Famous Hunan chili in black bean sauce.” These are a bit simpler, though, and seared until wrinkly and served with black vinegar, they have an appealing fruitiness to them. And yes, they’re powerfully hot.
- Mike Sula
- Chengu Impression
