Sichuan Impression

101 Best restaurants of Los Angeles

@latimes

"#60 This has been the decade of Sichuan cuisine’s ascent in Los Angeles and beyond, when “ma la” and “hot and numbing” became catchwords in American food culture. Lynn Liu and Kelly Xiao — natives of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province — opened their first restaurant in Alhambra in 2014, with cooking that proved their region’s specialties have as much subtle shading of flavor as they do blatant burn. They’ve maintained their nuanced approach at additional locations in Tustin and, as of last year, Westwood. If you do want to set your tongue and soul immediately on fire, go straight for the Ginger Rabbit of Zigong and its translucent, fire-engine-red sauce that seems to glow from within. Or wade in slightly more gently by ordering boiled fish with rattan pepper, the broth rippling with Sichuan peppercorns. Bobo chicken, with submerged vegetables and chicken parts impaled on bamboo skewers, is a group favorite, but don’t overlook mao cai, a similarly enthralling hodgepodge featuring lotus root, bamboo shoots, tripe and pink, porky slabs that look and taste an awful lot like Spam. No alcohol. Credit cards accepted. Street parking."

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