Best Chinese food in the TCs?

In our continuing series of restaurant reviews (boy howdy are we behind on our reviews...), tonight we bring you Little Szechuan. This place has not been open very long (at least in its latest incarnation) and we are already regulars. And that's not just because we are creatures of habit.

Little Szechuan is a beautiful restaurant (go back and click through the link above to get an idea), with a pleasing orange paint, high-end lighting, and large pictures of chile peppers on the walls. At many Chinese restaurants, the decor is secondary to the food (especially if they focus on take-out)-- not here.

The service is very friendly-- our server tonight recognized us, and complimented us on our selections.

With those preliminaries out of the way, on to the food: good lord, it's wonderful. Wonderful, that is, as long as you like heat. My lips are still tingling an hour after eating. You know, that delightful burning sensation that accompanies a good hot meal.

We started, as we always do, with the Szechuan Dan-Dan Noodles (we read about them in this review of the place and have had them on each visit). They had lots of garlic, a hint of peanut, tiny bits of pork, and a healthy dose of spice. They're addictive and delicious.

We then ordered a whole lot of food, enough for dinner and plenty of leftovers. We got the Chung King Chili Chicken, the special Beef Short Ribs, and the Green Beans with Special Sauce. All were spectacular. The chicken was tender and very very spicey-- covered in pepper flakes and in a delectable sauce. The short ribs were coated in an amazing spice rub and set our mouths on fire. The green beans (which we'd had before) were perfectly tender-crisp.

On previous visits, we've also had the Kung Pao Chicken (very good), the Crispy Spicy Chicken (not to our liking; did we catch it on a bad night?), and the Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (out of this world). And maybe something else which escapes my recollection-- was it Chicken with Garlic Sauce?

Yum. This place is great. And I can't wait to eat some leftovers tomorrow!