Sichuan Jin RIver (巴山蜀水, was Sichuan Pavilion), Hungerford Drive in Rockville

[goodeats]

I have not been here yet, but I know there are spicy food-, especially Szechuan food-lovers on this board. So I wanted to bring attention to a new opening of another Szechuan-style cooking in Rockville. Around the corner from the nail tech and nearby Bob's 66 is this new place, with a recent review in the Duowei Times, suggesting to try the "Twice Cooked Pork" because of its twist. Apparently the head chef used to head the kitchen at Joe's Noodle House and is also from Szechuan. If you go, the recommended dessert is the "Taro red date with glutinous rice." The sub-heading relates to the restaurant's Chinese translation. Sounds like a good TMB Rockville or TDT opportunity.

巴山蜀水

Sichuan Pavilion

410 Hungerford Drive

Rockville, MD

240-403-7251

M-Thurs: 11:00am-10:00pm

F: 11:00am-10:30pm

S: 11:30am-10:30pm

Sun: 11:30am-10:00pm

[deangold]

Oh my gosh what a find! Thanks Good (or should that be great?) Eats!

Went today for a 1pm lunch to find a sparkly place all bright in yellow and whites. There are two menus given out. the American Chinese menu and the Authentic Chinese Menu. The paper take home menu is filled with items from the Authentic menu. I feasted today:

#21 under small plates: Crispy Fungus & Pickled Peppers Salad. I have had this dish at Hong Kong Palace, Joe's and here int he past few weeks. The clear winner is this version. The wood ears are crispy as advertised and actually have flavor. The pickled peppers are nicely hot without a lot of burn and well vinagered. There is just enough garlic & ginger for flavor interest without too much. Great dish! The dish was noticably hot & spicy.

I ordered #28 small plates (each section is numbered starting at #1) Sichuan Mixed Pickled Vegetables but I think I got Sweet & Sour Spicy Cabbage Salad which is #25. Again, this was a home run! Where most version of this dish emphasize the sweet, here the sweet and sour are in perfect balance with spicy casting the tie breaking vote. WOW! There was a goodly kick of spice.

For an entree I ordered Pork #21: Bacon. sausage and dried bean curd with green peppers. This was a plate to behold: green chiles and green peppercorn, leegs, slivered pieced of pressed dry tofu, very fattty house smoked (at least it tasted like house smoked) bacon, what looked like smoked tongue slices and little sweet and tangy sausages all in a stir fry with just an oily residue at the bottom of the plate. All the flavorings were cook into the ingredients. Oh, lest I forget the final touch, loads of slices of garlic cooked to that perfect point where hot turns to sweet and yet its neither. This is a dish that harkens back to Brandy Ho's and Henry's Hunan of San Francisco at their best and stands tall. The waitress was concerned that it was spicy enough for me so she brought the hot chile flakes in oil that are part of htis dish for extra heat, which I partook of half way thru.

By now, I was pleasantly full but I thought what about my report of this meal? How could I not have a ma la dish to speak of? So strictly in the interest of science and journalistic completeness, I ordered Dan Dan noodles. What I got was a small dish of pretty plain boiled noodles topped with a bit of stir fried pork in a dark mode. The noodles needed white pepper & salt. Then I added a drop or two of white vinegar and mixed the noodles with the oil at the bottom of the bowl. The second bight went from the monochromatic ringtone on a cheap cell phone playing the Ride of the Valkyries to this. My self sacrifice, not to mention full tummy, are a small price to play for the delight offered by this $3.95 dish! Layers of flavor from a full dose of sichuan peppercorns, the porkyness of the bits of mystery meat, the mashed garlic & ginger in the sauce and thr fire added by either Mime the God of Fire or by a healthy slash of chile flakes fried in oil. The burn is now a pleasant glow nearly an hour after eating. When the bowl was empty, the bowl was characteristic of properly made Sichuan: nothing identifiable as a sauce, just a slick of oil because all the sauce like elements were cook into the ingredients allowing the oil to separate and run off.

Joe's, Hong Kong Palace are both very fine and I have been happy investigating their wondersful menus. But here is a new comer to the scene (open two weeks) that merits further research!

[StephenB]

Anyone intrested in checking this out this week?

Is this place related to the restaurant of the same name at 18th & K downtown? I have lots of experience there (including several banquets in their private room), and think it's good, but never thought it specialized in heat.

[deangold]

Is this place related to the restaurant of the same name at 18th & K downtown? I have lots of experience there (including several banquets in their private room), and think it's good, but never thought it specialized in heat.

There is no mention of another location on the paper menu I took from them. Although I am no expert, the chinese characters in their names seem different. Also, the menus seem really different in layout, content and pricing.

[deangold]

Anyone intrested in checking this out this week?

TDTM anyone?

[deangold]

Taking advantage of another day off to enjoy another lunch at SP. Saw a Morgan parked out front of the restaruant meaning Eroica38 was most likely inside. And he was. we joined forces and enjoyed the folowing:

Pork and sizzling rice cakes in sweet & sour sauce: very nicely done. Great sizzling rice cakes, not oily as they can be and very crispy with a nice stir fry of pork in a vinegar laced sauce with lots of ginger, garlic slices and a little heat of chile. Really good dish and a very generous portion.

Crispy fungus - as good as yesterday

Broad bean with garlic & scallion sauce - fava bean-like beans, very tasty in a good sauce. Refreshing but then again, I love beans.

Ma Po Tofu - a huge portion heavy on the ma la elements. Very alrge bowl filled to the brim. I maybe ate 1/3 of it total. Teh sauce on the rice was superb. Very hot and ma la. Wonderful!

This place is gooooooood!

[Scott Johnston]

Dinner Last night with Goodeats and GE Baby

First impressions: The space is nice but sort of tucked away. We did get confirmation that this was the former "Taste of Saigon" spot. There are tables setup in two places with a middle area containing the take out counter, cold apt counter and the register. My overall impression was a bit sterile. Please remember that this is only like their second week in business. The staff was very friendly and I believe the owner also came by and greeted us. They were also helpful picking out dishes.

We started out with a soup off the special board. The soup had shredded pork, pickled vegetables, vermicelli and a nice rich broth. Definitely the start of some comfort food, that seemed to be the theme of the night. Next we had the Small plate 12, Home Made Sichuan Sausage (5.95). This was a wonder of pork, fat and a hint of Sichuan pepper. The pork hits you first and then the slight numbness of the pepper hits the back of your throat. The dish had been slightly microwave to heat it up.

Pork (15) Double cooked pork with crispy bread was the highlight of the evening for me. Sliced pork stirred fried with onions, and several types of peppers. The crispy bread was a fried piece of triangular shaped dough the while crispy, soaked up a lot of flavors from the peppers and juices. Finally we had Tofu 10, Soft Tofu with Chinese Greens, This was also an amazing dish, pure comfort food, soft pillows of tofu with greens in a slight broth. We had to eat this as a soup, but it was thick and yummy. All good to great dishes and a menu that needs a lot more exploring. I have scanned the take out menu for everyone to see, but I think there may be more dishes on the actual table menu and their are daily dishes in Chinese on a white board.

[StephenB]

There are quite a few items on the menu that are unspecified "fish." This is becoming ubiquitous in Asian restaurants. I presume it means farm-grown tilapia, but who knows? Can you imagine another menu that is no more specific than "meat"?

[Ericandblueboy]

There are quite a few items on the menu that are unspecified "fish." This is becoming ubiquitous in Asian restaurants.

Many fish dishes can use any number of fish so Chinese restaurants don't specify the type of fish. I wouldn't say it's necessarily tilapia when it's not specified. The chinese names don't specify the fish either.

[mdjordy]

Great vegetarian meal last night late.

Scallion pancakes, not greasy-many light layers-great for soaking up sauces on other dishes. Crispy Fungus & Pickled Peppers Salad was fantastic...you could taste the variety of heat. Soft tofu with greens- huge bowl of silky soft tofu with greens in a white sauce, kind of bland-but soothing after the mushrooms (fungus). Eggplant with garlic sauce- not too sweet, had a kick....a little greasy, but very good. Next time will try the crispy eggplant dishes.

No beer yet, really could have used it. English is tough, wanted to try desserts- but menu was only in Chinese and nobody was able to help. Looking at the carryout menu-it is translated so we could have used that.

Can't wait to go back with some meat eaters.

[Scott Johnston]

Another great meal tonight. We started off with Wontons in Hot Sauce. Similar to the Joe's dish (several of the cooks have worked at JNH), these were in a more complex sauce, had a bit more fillings and the dough was a bit lighter, great dish! We also had the "dan dan" noodles that Dean has already described. We continued with a small plate of "Broad Beans" that looked like large lima beans with scallions that had a wonderful slightly smoky flavor. We also enjoyed a small plate of the sweet and sour and spicy cabbage salad. This is also a great dish, nicely balanced with sweet, sour, spice and salt. Our mains were Mapo tofu, which was just pure heaven, spicy and the salty crispy eggplant, thick slices of eggplant, battered and deep fried with just the right amount of salt. We finished the dinner with sticky rice covered with crushed peanuts. The peanut sugar mix on top was nice, but the sticky rice was like gluten and not that great. The surprise of the night was being given a "frequent customer" card, (word for word like Joes) that is filled out every time you pay cash over 20 dollars. The place was full, but no waiting line. There is a Chinese and an American menu.

There are over 220 dishes on the menu, plus daily specials

[Lydia R]

First impressions: The space is nice but sort of tucked away. We did get confirmation that this was the former "Taste of Saigon" spot.

I'm generally familiar with the area, but hadn't gotten to Taste of Saigon more than a few times over the years. Midweek I was in the vicinity, but too early for lunch. Definitely will try to make it back during meal service.

Here are some rainy day navigational photos of the street frontage, rear entrance and a view facing towards Rt 355 [pedestrians from the Rockville Metro Station should turn at the CVS and walk in behind the firestation]:

[deangold]

7 of us ate there last night and it was overall pretty damned good. Thee were a couple of dishes that hit odd noted, but even there there was some disagreement amongst us so it was as much as style thing as anything

The starters:

Scallion pancakes were good to mop up sauces but nothing special.

Beef Jerky very similar in style to Hong Kong Palace but not as hot. shreds of beef, thick pasty sauce of hot chiles and garlic, scallion & ginger.

Beef tendon & trip in hot sauce - fantastic- Nice level of heat, good sauce

Bean Jelly in hot sauce marked with tho peppers. Maybe we got the one pepper version but the dish was quite good none the less. The bean jelly is cold cubes of white jello and the sauce vinegar, hot chilies in oil, garlic, scallions & ginger. Refreshing and light

Crispy Fungus with pickled peppers - a great dish

Bigger dishes included:

Tilapia in spicy sauce with bean jelly & pickled peppers was superb even if I am not usually a fan of Tilapia. THis one was ot the typical variety of Tilapia and had mmore flavor and color. The topping was good, the star of the dish witht he fish providing a sauce delivery system more than being a major player.

Ma Po Tofu was good but not as good as on my last visit. Tasted like they needed to drain the tofu a little more before final cooking

Twice Cooked Pork with fried bread- perfectly spectacular. Large slices of belly, leek greens, loads of garlic, layering of heat elements and wedges of the bread. Truly great.

Pork on sizling rice cake with sweet & sour sauce - again, spectacular. the ricecakes are as good as any I have ever had. They remain crisp even after sitting in the sauce for a long time. They are fried to the maximum they can be without burning and become a complex flavor all on their own. This dish can be had with seafood or veggies instead of pork.

Beef in firery soup - the beef equivalent of H20 at Joe's looked spectacular but seeemed to lack a balance of flavors. Lots of heat but maybe some vinegar or somethig was left out or needed.

I am sure I am leaving out something but someone else will ahve to comment. All this, a large tip was $118 total including tip. & folk devoured it and I have a large bag of leftovers!

[Tweaked]

At around 3am my GI Tract definitely was experiencing "ma la"

The other winner off the entrees was the crispy eggplant. There were also a dumpling dish in the app round (not sure what we ordered). ohh and cold sesame noodles.

I generally enjoyed the small plates and apps...not as thrilled with the entrees. I liked the eggplant and twice cooked pork alot, the other entrees didn't do so much for me. And I would be perfectly happy eating the dumplings, noodles, beef jerky, tendon/tripe, and fungus off the app small plate list.

Still plenty of menu left to explore! Now if they would just change the muzak sound track...eesh.

All in all another successful DR feast in Rockville!

[Ericandblueboy]

The menu had two versions of pork wonton, with hot sauce or with hot and sour sauce. We tried the hot and sour version, but it didn't taste much different from the normal version with hot sauce at other restaurants. In any case, they're pretty good (but not better than HKP or Peking Village, the two restaurants I frequent most often due to their proximity).

Also two versions of spicy bean jelly salad, one is translated as happy, the other is translated as sad. We got the sad version, which is supposed to be the hotter of the two. It didn't taste very spicy but it still knotted up my stomach this morning. I'm not sure if that's better or worse than burning my mouth and screwing up the poop chute.

We also ordered the Sichuan sausage. I don't eat Chinese sausage because they're fatty and sweet but others liked them.

The fish we got was called Whole Fish and Bean Jelly in Hot Sichuan sauce (the lunch version doesn't have bean jelly). I'm not a fan of bean jelly in any form (don't like jello's texture and general lack of flavor). The star of this dish is really the sauce (garlic, fermented beans and hot peppers), which shouldn't just be doused over the fish but should infuse the fish with flavor. I wish they had a bigger fish since the $15 tilapia wasn't really enough to serve a table of 7.

The eggplant was battered and deep fried. The batter is the type generally used in Cantonese restaurants to fry oysters, which are then served with a side dish of salt and pepper.

The beef is called Sliced Beef and Vegetables in Fiery Soup. The beef was super soft but not flavorful (probably as a result of too much corn starching). Incidentally, the napa cabbage did a much better job of conveying the sauce. It's a popular dish but better versions could be had at Peking Village, Jasmine Garden, HKP (to name a few, I haven't been to Joe's) - also offered as a fish or pork dish.

[xcanuck]

I checked the place out for lunch today and brought home some take out.

Spinach and tofu soup - just what it sounds like. Light chicken broth with soft tofu and fresh spinach. The broth is somewhat lackluster but then again, I had it after some of the other dishes and my tongue was already a wee numb. I can see this working well if you have it first, especially if you're ill and in need of something comforting but not too spicy.

Beef Tripe with Spicy Sauce - a wee little too much oil for my liking but the overall flavour and texture of the tripe was outstanding. I mixed in a little rice to help absorb the oil. I can't get over how the texture was what I enjoyed the most. Not chewy at all! The peppercorns really stood out. I love this dish!

Bean Curd Salad with Chinese Greens - this was mostly pressed bean curd, edamame, and noodles. A little too delicate, considering I dove straight into the tripe first and then went to this. Lisa really liked it.

Shredded chicken with pickled cabbage - delicious!! The sour of the pickled cabbage went well with the heat of the chicken. There were ample amounts of pickled carrots in there, too, which were surprisingly refreshing. This was my favorite entree.

Shredded pork with garlic sauce - not bad. A little sweet and the sauce was a little "gloppy" but not a bad taste. I preferred the shredded chicken, though. If it were just me, I wouldn't order it again but I wouldn't turn it away if someone else got it.

All this for $30! There's so much more to explore on the menu, too. The main lesson we learned today is to pay careful attention to the order that you eat the food. It makes a difference. I'm not sure if this place is better than JNH but as long as they don't dumb down the heat level, then this may become our "go to" for Sichuan lunch.

[eroica38]

I checked the place out for lunch today and brought home some take out.

Hmmm, I missed last night's dinner so I had lunch there by myself today. Alas I did not see you.

I had the cucumber salad - boring and taseless - followed by an absolutely sublime double cooked pork with toasted bread. The double cooked pork was unlike any I have encountered. Vegetable was basically leek flavored with garlic and ginger. It was a very tasty dish. The waitress smiled hugely when I urged her not to tone down the heat.

I will be back next week and try to partially eat my way through their menu.

[deangold]

Another nice meal. Broad beans, very good indeed shredded tofu salad and one other small plate were followed by a dish of fish dumplings in a white sauce with cucumber that was addictively as good as it was pleasingly bland. The dumplings were extruded in little folded over fibbons, in a standard white sauce and the cuked were perfectly briased with their touch of bittterness a perfect touch. We ended with Zhong's dumpligs which were good but not great.

[DanielK]

I forgot to grab a takeout menu, so I will have to go from memory, and won't have dish numbers.

Three of us had a rather grand feast for lunch today. We consumed:

• Baby fish with peanuts (excellent rendition of this dish, served just out of the saute pan)
  
• Sichuan tendon and tripe (possibly best dish of the meal, complex and spicy spicy)
  
• Wontons in hot sauce (only ok - not many layers of flavor in the chili oil, and the dumplings were underseasoned. Seems from other reviews that wontons and dumplings are a miss here)
  
• Greens? (I can't remember the name of the dish, but it was essentially a lettuce-like green in peanut sauce. Plain, but a very effective foil to the spicy dishes)
  
• Double-cooked Sichuan pork (On the regular menu, this is the one that comes with the fried bread, but I guess in the lunch portion it didn't, because the dish was the same otherwise. Excellent.)
  
• Fish filets in spicy broth (There are like 5 dishes with almost the same name, but this one came with more hot and sichuan peppers than anything else, with sour sprout-like greens and filets of Tilapia. Fantastic dish.)
  

Too much food for 3 of us, though we ate it all anyway, and it was $16/person after tax and tip. We need to get a large group here for a kick-ass banquet - the manager/owner is enthused about non-Chinese ordering the good dishes, and offered to order for us the next time we come in! (He says the smoked duck is a house specialty).

[deangold]

I forgot to grab a takeout menu, so I will have to go from memory, and won't have dish numbers.

Three of us had a rather grand feast for lunch today. We consumed:

• Baby fish with peanuts (excellent rendition of this dish, served just out of the saute pan)
• Sichuan tendon and tripe (possibly best dish of the meal, complex and spicy spicy)
• Wontons in hot sauce (only ok - not many layers of flavor in the chili oil, and the dumplings were underseasoned. Seems from other reviews that wontons and dumplings are a miss here)
• Greens? (I can't remember the name of the dish, but it was essentially a lettuce-like green in peanut sauce. Plain, but a very effective foil to the spicy dishes)
• Double-cooked Sichuan pork (On the regular menu, this is the one that comes with the fried bread, but I guess in the lunch portion it didn't, because the dish was the same otherwise. Excellent.)
• Fish filets in spicy broth (There are like 5 dishes with almost the same name, but this one came with more hot and sichuan peppers than anything else, with sour sprout-like greens and filets of Tilapia. Fantastic dish.)

Too much food for 3 of us, though we ate it all anyway, and it was $16/person after tax and tip. We need to get a large group here for a kick-ass banquet - the manager/owner is enthused about non-Chinese ordering the good dishes, and offered to order for us the next time we come in! (He says the smoked duck is a house specialty).

Just a few comments on the dishes:

I was really blown away at the baby fish dish. Having it hot and a little spicier then usual was really good.

I have now had 3 different kinds of dumplings and I think staying away from their dumplings isn't a bad idea. They do so much so much better, why waste the calories/stomach capacity.

The lunch double cooked pork doesn't thrill like the dinner one with the fried bread.

FIsh Fillet in Spicy Broth was incredible. The peppercorns were added on their stems in a bunch. To verify what they were and bit into one of the peppercorns.... wow is that an experience! This dish is really good as well. They have a nice touch with fish.

[mmiles]

My wife and I went on last Friday. The place was packed (15 minute wait), with about 90% Chinese clientele. Good news: the wait staff was excellent, the restaurant itself is very attractive, and the owner and his wife (I assume) helped us order. Bad news: the food was a bit disappointing, given the reviews above. We deliberately ordered too much, beginning with the crispy fungus and pickled pepper salad (#21) and small pork buns filled with chicken broth (#10), and moving on to the double cooked pork with crispy bread (#15), the stir fried minced chicken with ya-cai (#15), and the shredded beef with hop [sic] fresh peppers (#14). The fungus salad had a pretty good flavor, but there were no discernible pickled (or any other kind of) peppers. The buns were good, but nothing terribly new or bold. The pork was our favorite dish, with good spice, although I would have cooked the pork a bit more to make it crispier (and somewhat less fatty) if I were making it. The minced chicken was a big disappointment, because the owner had been pretty enthusiastic about us ordering it. (He said that it was a big favorite of his Chinese customers.) We thought that it lacked any real flavor. I'm pretty sure we did not get the beef dish we ordered, but instead got #15, since it was chock full of bamboo shoots. This dish wasn't too bad, but had no heat and not much flavor. All in all, a bit of a disappointment. We hope to go back and try again when it is less crowded. When we do, I hope we order some things that have a bit more heat and spice, since right now Joe's blows it away.

[wahoooob]

Hmm I think tobomatic may have been sitting behind us Friday, b/c I seem to recall that flow of dishes (and now kicking myself for not ordering the double cooked pork)!

Beef jerky was good - a little heat but not too much. Scallion pancake was pretty good - a bit thicker and more chewey than at A&J. We also tried cold sesame and dan dan noodles. Both were decent, although I swear one was made with spaghetti pasta. If I had to pick I'd put the dan dan ahead of the sesame. Short ribs with sticky rice - not quite what I was hoping for (more like rich braised short ribs) but smaller ribs like at dim sum, but coated in something like small bits of potato or something? Wasn't quite sure what to make of that one. Also had the dumplings with broth - maybe not the best ever, but I think probably among the best I've had in this area so far.

[Lydia R]

Attached is a scan of the Sichuan Pavilion's carryout menu. Interestingly, several of the unique dishes we enjoyed at a recent group meal are available on their weekday authentic chinese style lunch specials menu. They have an open and airy dining room with small window booths. Definitely worth many more visits.

SichuanPavilionMenuSept2009.PDF

[deangold]

Dinner there with three new to us dishes...

Seaweed salad - I prefer the version at A&J which is more vinegary and has bean sprouts. But this was a good, clean dish but would have been better with more folk to share it with.

Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup - the broth was medium bodied, very nicely spiced with star anise and the beef perfectly cooked. The noodles tasted packaged and were only OK. The homemade noodles available at A&J, Joe's or Mama's Dumplings would have put this dish over the top. Still very very good.

Pork with pickled peppers and lotus root - superb dish with a sauce redolent of ginger and vinegar without a huge chili hit. Light, well balanced, just lovely. Red peppers, green stuff, pork, loads of slivers of ginger, black tree ears. A real winner!

While there still are dishes I crave at Joe's, SP has now pulled far ahead in my listing of Sichuan places. I still go to both but the ratio is balanced towards SP. Joe's is worlds better for Cellophane Noodle soup with fish fillet and the dry fried beef.

[porcupine]

So I was driving along Rockville Pike when I got that weird faint/shaky/queasy feeling that is my body's way of telling me it wants protein, and I was wondering where to get a little something fast (but not that fast) to eat while driving, but it couldn't be a sandwich because I'm in the midst of a wheat-free week. So what could possibly meet these criteria? Szechuan-style Beef Jerky. Perfect; by the time I pay and go to the washroom to scrub my hands it's ready to go, it isn't too large a portion, it's pure protein (okay, swimming in fat), and I'll have leftovers to snack on for a few days.

Except there are no leftovers because the stuff is addictive. The word 'addictive' is over-used in food writing, but it's the right word here because I can't stop eating Szechuan-style Beef Jerky if it's anywhere near me. And I can't be anywhere along Rockville Pike [Hungerford Drive, actually] between, oh, say Mannakee Street and Wooton Parkway without thinking "hey, I'll get some Szechuan-style Beef Jerky".

I mean, Christ, I drove right by York Castle! because I was focused on Szechuan-style Beef Jerky.

What is in that stuff?!

[deangold]

Another superb meal in a too empty dining room at 8pm last night. Pork i spicy garlic sauce was ncely spicy and very garlicky {*burp*}. Bean Jelly in spicy sauce {the one with two peppers} was amazing. A bowl of white noodles with no flavor topped with a large ladlefull of fried hot peppers, ginger, garlic, sugar etc that was intensely satisfying. I love this dish and SP has the best version of it I have had. A big bowl of Spicy Sichuan Seafood Soup with Noodles was good. I wish I could get this soup with the noodles from A&J, not that wold be soup heaven!

And, they now have beer!!!

[Al Dente]

While there still are dishes I crave at Joe's, SP has now pulled far ahead in my listing of Sichuan places. I still go to both but the ratio is balanced towards SP.

I agree with you dude. I'm crazy about that General Guan's Chicken. I'll have to try that pork dish you mention.

[deangold]

We were going to go north to Hunan Taste but the fog made a trip to SP sound very enticing. It was.

New Dishes for us:

Sour & Spicy Foon - a bowl of cellophane noodles with a nicely sour sauce with a goodly amount of heat. Very messy to eat but so good.

Pork Belly with taro {Listed on the menu as pork steamed with taro} which elicited horror on the face of our waitress as she told us it was half fat. Next another waitress with better command of English came by to warn us off a gain. Us? Say no to pork which is half fat? I mean I think Dan Cole would liklier say no to skinny dipping nude in a vat of EVOO with Rachael Ray than Kay & I say no to pork half fat. Especially when it meaty belly which was steamed and roasted and interleaved with slices of unctuous taro likely having absorbed a lot of the fat from the aforementioned belly. The sauce was a thick puree that was tantlyzingly balanced betwen tangy, salty & sweet with non of the sensations winning out. Major wonderful.

Dried Tofu with Vegetables {and, we think, unbilled chicken slices}. Crazy good tofu: big squares of fried tofu in a light brown sauce with lots of onion & ginger.

Old Standbys

Lotus Root salad

Small fish fried with pepper.

1 tsing toa, a big tip and it was $50. Merry Jewish Christmas!

[seanvtaylor]

Pork Belly with taro {Listed on the menu as pork steamed with taro} which elicited horror on the face of our waitress as she told us it was half fat. Next another waitress with better command of English came by to warn us off a gain. Us? Say no to pork which is half fat? I mean I think Dan Cole would liklier say no to skinny dipping nude in a vat of EVOO with Rachael Ray than Kay & I say no to pork half fat. Especially when it meaty belly which was steamed and roasted and interleaved with slices of unctuous taro likely having absorbed a lot of the fat from the aforementioned belly. The sauce was a thick puree that was tantlyzingly balanced betwen tangy, salty & sweet with non of the sensations winning out. Major wonderful.

Funny--as it turns out, we were sitting behind you, and saw the waitresses' concern about the pork belly dish (which, when they brought it out, looked great). I ordered the General Guan's chicken, and it was as good as usual and I look forward to the leftovers. We really like this place--the food is wonderfully spiced, in our experience, and deeply flavorful.

[Heather]

We went last night, and had a couple of excellent dishes from the "authentic" menu (salty & crispy shrimp, double cooked pork with fried bread, string beans) and a couple from the other menu. The Americanized items were not good - bland, greasy lo mein and excessively starchy chicken with broccoli. I'll leave the 7-year-old at home and stick with the Szechuan stuff next time.

[DanielK]

I was there yesterday for a lunch with a large group.

Some of the old standbys ordered were Scallion pancake, Beef tendon and tripe w/hot sauce, spicy fish&peanuts, double-cooked pork w/fried bread, spicy fish w/peppers. All excellent.

A few new items to report on:

Basil chicken w/ginger hot pot, is actually served on a sizzling plate, not in the hot pot, and not to it's advantage. I miss the broth, and the chicken is cooked too long to the point of being soft. Good flavor balance, though.

Shrimp w/edamame: soft, overcooked shrimp with what seems like an entire pound of edamame, in a cornstarch sauce. Nothing exciting, but a break for a few at the table who couldn't deal with the all-spicy meal.

Dan dan noodles: excellent flavor, improved at the table as Dean indicated earlier, but needs more heat.

Spicy Chicken Gizzards: yum!

Smoked duck Not bad, but nothing new here.

Board [sic] beans w/scallion & garlic VERY starchy beans, but good flavor.

Baby bok-choy w/preserved egg Definitely worth ordering again, though the greens were definitely NOT bok choy!

No other beverages ordered, and total after tax and >25% tip (we sat for a long time) was still less than $20/head.

[Al Dente]

Jerky for me

Jerky for you

Let's eat the jerky

In my big brown shoe

Love to eat the jerky

At the table

I once saw a movie

With Betty Grable

Eat that jerky

All night long

Fifty million Elvis fans

Can't be wrong

Jerky lurkey doo and

Jerky lurkey dap

I eat that Jerky

Then I take a nap

-- apologies to adam sandler

[Tweaked]

Pork Belly with taro {Listed on the menu as pork steamed with taro} which elicited horror on the face of our waitress as she told us it was half fat. Next another waitress with better command of English came by to warn us off a gain. Us? Say no to pork which is half fat? I mean I think Dan Cole would liklier say no to skinny dipping nude in a vat of EVOO with Rachael Ray than Kay & I say no to pork half fat. Especially when it meaty belly which was steamed and roasted and interleaved with slices of unctuous taro likely having absorbed a lot of the fat from the aforementioned belly. The sauce was a thick puree that was tantlyzingly balanced betwen tangy, salty & sweet with non of the sensations winning out. Major wonderful.

I was watching Ruth Reichl's new cooking travel show, Adventures with Ruth, and the episode from the Yangshou School features a dish which sounds very similar to this...recipe here.

[coolcreek]

For an entree I ordered Pork #21: Bacon. sausage and dried bean curd with green peppers. This was a plate to behold: green chiles and green peppercorn, leegs, slivered pieced of pressed dry tofu, very fattty house smoked (at least it tasted like house smoked) bacon, what looked like smoked tongue slices and little sweet and tangy sausages all in a stir fry with just an oily residue at the bottom of the plate. All the flavorings were cook into the ingredients. Oh, lest I forget the final touch, loads of slices of garlic cooked to that perfect point where hot turns to sweet and yet its neither. This is a dish that harkens back to Brandy Ho's and Henry's Hunan of San Francisco at their best and stands tall. The waitress was concerned that it was spicy enough for me so she brought the hot chile flakes in oil that are part of htis dish for extra heat, which I partook of half way thru.

I am still loving Sichuan Pavilion, however I haven't been able to get this dish since last summer. I'll call in an order and everything is a go, but when I arrive to pick up I'm told they don't serve it any longer. Anyone else running into this? At first I though it might be a weekend only thing, but I'm striking out on those days, too.

[deangold]

Tonights treat, from the special board... a hot pot with glass noodle, pork blood, chicken feet {boneless}, spam {or its kissing cousin}, wood ears in a searlingly hot broth coated with a slick of oil and loaded with both chile hotness and Sichuan peppercorn hotness. Kay wondered why her mouth was getting hotter and hotter even though she had long stopped eating. I was just seeing if the heat from the hot pot could set of my implanted defibrillator. It didn't.

Also on out table was the incredible if rarely available Sichuan Sausage salad {nothing but a plate of slightly warmed Sichuan peppercon laced pork fat with a whiff of lean tossed in for some strange reason, the always wonderful fish with hot peppers and peanuts, bean curd salad and garlic cukes.

2 beers, great service, $38 plus tip. Got looks of admiration from the staff at eating so much pork blood!

Did I mention the two kinds of tripe in the hot pot?

[xcanuck]

We need another $20 Tuesday here. This place is soooooo damn good. I like the variety of choices afforded to a large group.

[seanvtaylor]

Wow--right now, if there is a dish as satisfying to me as the double cooked pork with crispy bread, I'd be stunned. Last night it was very spicy, extremely flavorful, and if I was in Rockville right now I'd probably be driving to Sichuan Pavilion to have it for lunch...

[Darth Tater]

I have to say I was disappointed with my visit to Sichuan Pavilion. The crispy fungus with pickled peppers was pretty bland and the dan-dan noodles in need of a spicing up as others gave attested to (and since the service was friendly but lackluster I never received the vinegar or hot chili oil I asked for). The Ma-po tofu was better, but a pale imitation of other versions I have tried elsewhere. I am deeply obliged to those highlighting the double cooked pork as that was absolutely the best dish of the night. None of these dishes rated more than one chili on the menu, but I was nonetheless disappointed with the lack of heat, despite my expressed preference for it.

Perhaps I simply caught them on an off night, but I think Joe's will remain my preferred stop for Szechuan in Rockville - specifically for the dry beef.

[sphere777]

In contrast, I thoroughly enjoyed my pre-birthday visit to Sichuan Garden. I ordered the broad beans with scallions and garlic, the lotus root salad, and the pork with the double-fried bread.

The bean were kind of bland but I liked them because they tempered the pork's heat. The lotus root salad was delicious with a mild vinegary tang and a touch of heat at the end. And the pork was flat-out great. The waitress asked me whether I wanted the dish as it is traditionally cooked "with fat" (pork belly I'm guessing) or with "just pork." I went traditional and was quite happy. The crunch of the bread, the unctuousness of the pork, and the Sichuan heat made a great combination. Thanks to everybody for recommending it.

rob

[DonRocks]

SichuanPavilionMenuSept2009.PDF

I'm working on the Maryland Dining Guide (yes, at 5 AM), and reading through this thread made me hungry. The diehards here may realize that Sichuan Pavilion now has a website, but they didn't use to. (I also found one for Michael's Noodles which wasn't there before.)

You know, I'm embarrassed to say that I've still never been here, but I'm going to raise it in the Dining Guide based on your glowing recommendations (which cannot be ignored).

Cheers,

Rocks

[Scott Johnston]

Tonight would be a good night to go!

I'm working on the Maryland Dining Guide (yes, at 5 AM), and reading through this thread made me hungry. The diehards here may realize that Sichuan Pavilion now has a website, but they didn't use to. (I also found one for Michael's Noodles which wasn't there before.)

You know, I'm embarrassed to say that I've still never been here, but I'm going to raise it in the Dining Guide based on your glowing recommendations (which cannot be ignored).

Cheers,

Rocks

[deangold]

Don's link above not leads to an accurate menu {actually it differs from the in house menu in that a lot of the misspelling are corrected even if there are a few new ones added!}. There were a lot of "things on the board" untranslated in house but translated on the website. We did not bother with the board finding a goodly number of things we wanted to try on the regular menu.

Yet another great meal with a couple of new dishes tried:

Diced Spicy Chicken Salad - hacked up bone in chicken spices in a bowl of very hot pepper sauce with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chiles piled on the center of the bowl. Why this is called a salad is beyond me. If you ate the piles of dried chiles & peppercorns, the dish was fiery, incendiary hot. If you were raccoon-like and washed off the hot stuff from the chicken in the sauce, it was mearly hot as heck. Really one of the best things I have had there.

Cold Smoked Duck - very nice and meaty - we meant to order the Smoked Duck {Deep Fried and Breaded} but got the cold plate instead. Given how rich the intended dish is and how full we were at teh end of our meal, this was not a bad mistake to have made. Just remember that both dishes are called the same thing when ordering.

Cold Noodles with Hot Chili Sauce - very nice cold dish without any Sichuan Peppercorns - vinegary chile laced sauce with a goodly but not overpowering amount of heat.

Old favs...

Lotus Root Salad - noted as lotus poot salad on the in restaurant menu and Sichuan Mixed Vegetable Pickle - good as always

Lots of new faces on the floor but the same old great cooking.

[deangold]

After a long absence based on noting more than lack of time combined with sloth on days off....

A meal right off the menu, not the specials.

Anchovies with peanuts & chiles ~ salty, crunchy, briny, perfect

Lotus Poot Salad {sic} ~ poots are stangly similar to roots and this salad is a pile of rather thickly sliced crunchy "wagon wheels" with a texture & flavor somewhere between potato & water chestnuts. A few red ann green bell peppers for sweetness and a faint spice in the vinegar, garlic, ginger based sauce. I've had better versions of this at SP before but still fine. Refreshing in the midst of all the spice we ordered.

Stir Fried Pork with hit peppers {this is the dish off the appetizer portion of the menu} ~ squiggles of pressed bean curd, pork loin, scads of leek greens, a smattering of seeded green peppers, a lightly soy flavored sauce made this a superb dish, especially for less heat loving member of our party. Even though it was not as fiery as the 2 other spicy dishes, it was still hot but in a gentle way. Amazingly good.

Flounder {although suspiciously more like Tilapia in taste, size & texture} with soft tofu in spicy sauce. I thought this was the clear soup dish with peppercorns and cellophane noodles but it turned out to be more like Ma Po Tofu except with fish replacing the pork. Very pungent and very spicy although we have had it more Ma La but by request. If I realized which dish it was, I would ahve made sure to get it "Ma La, Ma La" and I am sure it would have been just as hot in the past. Kay found it too hot to do more than nibble, but by that time were were pretty stuffed. With more folk, this would be a fabulous dish to order screamingly hot. Some may not like the oil slick floating on the top, but that is Sichuan cooking's hallmark.

All in all, a very good meal leaving us determined to come back sooner. With Joe's back to hitting on all cylinders, the choice is very difficult. I find Joe's cooking more stark and a little urgent and SP more lush and rich.

3 Kirin Iciban, 4 dishes {one mostly brought home as left overs}, generous tip and change back from $50.

[lion]

Enjoyed dinner at the Sichuan Pavilion. Place was packed when the GF and myself got inside. We had several dishes and the portions were definitely family size.

I think most of the comments about the place in the thread are spot on.

Damn, I will resist eating the leftovers in the fridge at 2AM.

[squidsdc]

Mr. S and I were out doing errands that took us to Bethesda and Rockville. Having a late breakfast, we both were starving about 2pm and were trying to decide where to get a bite for lunch. Our recent visit to SP with fellow DR's before the tour at Baying Hound Aleworks a few weeks ago had us both craving some tea smoked duck. So we beelined north on 355 and had the restaurant almost to ourselves. Perfect late lunch/predinner. We started with the delicious sweet and spicy cabbage salad, followed by seafood mixture with crispy rice cakes and the aforementioned tea smoked duck. Plenty of leftovers to take home, and we were quite sated. They even recognized us from that last DR visit!

[Marty L.]

This is also the quite-fleeting time of year when, if you get lucky, SP might have its homemade sausage available. If they do, order it.

Mr. S and I were out doing errands that took us to Bethesda and Rockville. Having a late breakfast, we both were starving about 2pm and were trying to decide where to get a bite for lunch. Our recent visit to SP with fellow DR's before the tour at Baying Hound Aleworks a few weeks ago had us both craving some tea smoked duck. So we beelined north on 355 and had the restaurant almost to ourselves. Perfect late lunch/predinner. We started with the delicious sweet and spicy cabbage salad, followed by seafood mixture with crispy rice cakes and the aforementioned tea smoked duck. Plenty of leftovers to take home, and we were quite sated. They even recognized us from that last DR visit!

[Ericandblueboy]

Had lunch here after another stop at Architectural Ceramics. Shopping for tiles always take an inordinate amount of time, but we're glad that we figured out what we want. To start, we had some spicy wontons and dan dan noodles. The dumplings are very meaty, unlike typical wontons. The dan dan noodles, like the spicy noodles, came in an oily sauce that's hotter than the version served at Hong Kong Palace. I think I like the dan dan noodles at HKP better, which has a more complex sauce. For our mains, we got the spicy flounder with cabbage (so called water boiled fish), beef with scallions off the Chinese-American menu, and sauteed pea shoots (dou miao). The spicy flounder was tender, not fishy, and plentiful - very good. The beef was really sweet. I think it was a mistake to order off the Chinese-American menu but I didn't really see any beef dishes on the Chinese menu. The pea shoots had some really tough stems. It was a huge plateful and it would've still been a big plate if they trimmed off some of the stems. When we got home, we found out we got a ticket for running a red light for the last trip we made to Architectural Ceramincs.

[seanvtaylor]

I think it was a mistake to order off the Chinese-American menu but I didn't really see any beef dishes on the Chinese menu.

I don't think that there are too many--the only one I can think of, off the top of my head, is beef with bitter melon. It's certainly an acquired taste, and it's generally too bitter for me, but for some strange reason I find myself craving that dish from time to time.

[TheMatt]

I don't think that there are too many--the only one I can think of, off the top of my head, is beef with bitter melon. It's certainly an acquired taste, and it's generally too bitter for me, but for some strange reason I find myself craving that dish from time to time.

My favorite dish at Sichuan Pavilion is a beef dish: the braised beef with rice cake. But, it's been a while since I've been there, so maybe it's no longer offered.

[Ericandblueboy]

I don't think that there are too many--the only one I can think of, off the top of my head, is beef with bitter melon. It's certainly an acquired taste, and it's generally too bitter for me, but for some strange reason I find myself craving that dish from time to time.

I do love beef with bitter melon - but that I wanted to order a dish that my wife and kid can eat. Don't recall if the beef with rice cake dish was still available.

[porcupine]

goddamit.

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

My favorite dish at Sichuan Pavilion is a beef dish: the braised beef with rice cake. But, it's been a while since I've been there, so maybe it's no longer offered.

It's still on the take-out menu and on their website so most likely they still have it.

There are a fair number of beef dishes on the menu, I believe I enjoyed the Spicy Thin Rice Noodles with Minced Beef when I had it. The Sliced Beef & Vegetables in Fiery Soup wasn't bad either.

I'm eyeballing the Pickled Chili with Shredded Beef right now, might have to make a trip out here on Thursday at this rate ...

[winger1930]

There are a fair number of beef dishes on the menu, I believe I enjoyed the Spicy Thin Rice Noodles with Minced Beef when I had it. The Sliced Beef & Vegetables in Fiery Soup wasn't bad either.

Don't forget about the beef jerky!!! And the tripe and tendon, which I have convinced a non-offal eater to try and like.

[goodeats]

Am not sure what happened but the latter half of the English is now "Jin River" or something like that instead of pavilion.

[Mainah]

Ate here twice over the last week while in town visiting family. Delicious food! Order the Stir fried string beans with 'ya-cai'. Flounder with pickled cabbage and Fish with ginger and scallions were both very good and the fish fresh. General Guans Chicken also good. The chicken in this dish is not breaded ala General Gaos. Dan Dan Noodles were tasty. PIckled fresh cucumber very good as well and a good accompaniment to hot dishes. The only dish that I would not order again was lotus root salad. Had not had lotus root before and gave it a try but, for me, it was too bland and starchy.

[Marty L.]

FYI: The restaurant's English language name has changed, I believe in order to distinguish it from the (unrelated) SP in downtown D.C. The new name is indeed "SIchuan Jin RIver." Ownership/kitchen/etc. appear not to have changed. Could someone please inform the DR powers-that-be so that they can change the heading?

[DonRocks]

FYI: The restaurant's English language name has changed, I believe in order to distinguish it from the (unrelated) SP in downtown D.C. The new name is indeed "SIchuan Jin RIver." Ownership/kitchen/etc. appear not to have changed. Could someone please inform the DR powers-that-be so that they can change the heading?

I finally got to the newly named Sichuan Jin River, and when I walked in at 2:45, most of the staff was sitting around a table hand-forming Zhong dumplings (I got two orders, uncooked, to take home, ($5.75, 8 to an order) which I will boil this evening).

Whole Fish & Bean Jelly in Hot Sichuan Sauce ($17.50) was a very large, fresh tilapia (taken from tank), and took about thirty minutes to prepare. It was worth the wait, served with cubes of "bean jelly" that were more like a custard in texture (don't let the name scare you away). The saucing was an extremely complex, ingredient-intensive mix that must have been close to a pint in quantity, generously ladled all over the fish.

There's something peaceful about being a block away from bombastic Rockville Town Center, and quietly reading away the afternoon in an empty restaurant such as this.

The large, separate "Authentic Chinese" menu has both Chinese and English translations, so between that and the "American-Chinese" menu, Sichuan Jin River can handle everyone from the Lemon Chicken crowd to those seeking Intestines with Cumin.

Maintained in Italic, and my only question now is whether or not this is the best Sichuan restaurant in the DC area (it's certainly up there).

[eatruneat]

I have been a long time lurker on these boards, finally stepping up to the plate to write about Sichuan Jin River and give it a more recent review.

The boy and I rented a car for a little road trip over Thanksgiving and decided to take advantage of our new and temporary freedom from public transit to grab dinner some place we normally wouldn't be able to go. We decided on Chinese food because there is a serious lack of good Chinese food in the District and after some scouring, settled on Sichuan Jin River. Much to my surprise there hasn't been a post on this place since 2009, but the place was highly by Todd Kliman and I couldn't tell the boy that I didn't want to go to a restaurant because of it hasn't been discussed on a message board in four years. So off we went to Rockville with a friend who was more than down for some feasting on a cold evening.

Our waitress -- who seems like the owner or manager -- sat us at a booth and handed us the menus. When we inquired about the Chinese menu (as opposed to the Chinese American one), she said that they have combined the two because people kept writing about the two different menus so they wanted to eliminate confusion. We proceeded to order entirely too much food and heavy on the appetizers which lead the waitress to jokingly (?) scold us, "too many appetizer. Only two entree."

Pickled Cucumber and Lotus Root Salad: We ordered these mainly to offset the spice of the entrees. They were both good, crunchy, and cooling. Although I generally don't like cucumber at all, I thought it was fun. In the future, I would probably only order one of these, likely the pickled cucumber.

Hot and Sour Soup (large): This bowl was huge, and a great deal for $4.50. I love hot and sour soup and while this version satisfied my craving, I think it could have been more hot and more sour. The versions I ate growing up had lots of bamboo shoots and mushrooms, both of which were lacking in this one. Still, a good soup for a rainy and cold night.

Wontons with Hot Sauce: Eight large-ish steamed wontons on top of a pool of what looked to be chili oil. I'm a sucker for dumplings and thought this was very good. I'm used to wontons being made with both ground pork and ground shrimp, but I think these were purely pork wontons. I believe the hot sauce was just chili oil, but I like chili oil so didn't have a problem with that.

Steamed pork buns with "ya cai": Two huge, doughy buns. Ya Cai is pickled bean sprouts, which was a pleasant paired with the pork. I didn't think this dish was worth the stomach space. The buns to be a little too doughy and while not bad, the filling seemed rather tasteless next to the other food we had ordered. Dipping the the buns in the chili oil of the wontons helped a little.

Dan dan noodles: A seemingly simple dish, but very good. The noodles came out overflowing from a bowl which lead to someone remarking that it just looked like a bowl of angel hair pasta topped with ground pork. Mixing this up with the chili sauce underneath revealed a smoky, fiery, and addictive dish. I thought this was terrific.

General Guan's Cumin Chicken: We were pretty stuffed at this point and only had courtesy spoonfulls of this dish as well as the other entree. This was thinly sliced chicken and scallions sauteed with cumin and some kind of sauce, not goopy though. I had most of this dish Saturday night and it reheated well. Both at the restaurant and after reheating, I thought this dish was fantastic. Very spicy and flavorful and not too overwhelming with the cumin.

Ma Po Tofu with Minced Beef: This was my absolute favorite dish of the evening. The tofu was swimming in a very spicy sauce and the minced beef was minimal, leaving the tofu to be the star. Eating this dish definitely left a numbing sensation on my tongue and lips (I had to convince my dining companions that this was due to the Sichuan peppercorns and not MSG), which was thoroughly enjoyable. Even though the dish was very spicy, I found it to be pretty well balanced in that I didn't have sweat coming down my face and needed minimal water to go from bite to bite. I also enjoyed the sauce which nicely coated the tofu but wasn't cloying or overpowering. This dish also reheated well and I hope to finish it off this evening.

$68 for three people (including tax and tip), with enough leftovers for 3-4 non-gluttonous leftover meals left me thinking about getting a zipcar membership. I need to eat out of the District more often.

Thanks for reading my first post.

[Josh]

Nice report eatruneat!

The Ma Po at Jin River is hands down my favorite version in the area.  I really should've posted about this place since I eat there probably once a month.  Sounds like you did well in the appetizer department, but the beef tendon is a great way to start your meal as well.

[DonRocks]

Thanks for reading my first post.

Umm ... after this? I'm ... very much looking forward to reading your 500th post.

[Simul Parikh]

I'm glad eatruneat re-reviewed this place! I used to love it, but in early 2012 I went a few times and felt it had fallen off. Not the case? I think I will go back very soon!

[Banco]

Eatruneat, thanks to you, I am now squirming in my seat while looking at the food porn on Jin River's website. I also need to get out of the District far more often to take advantage of the great ethnic (esp. Chinese) food outside the city.

[porcupine]

One of the great things about Sichuan Jin River is that my mother-in-law and I can both eat there and be perfectly happy.  This rarely happens, but SJR has both American and Chinese menus.  Last time she got shrimp in oyster sauce while I got Szechuan style beef jerky and ma-po tofu, both of which were extraordinary.

Rockville just keeps getting better for Chinese.

[Tweaked]

For what it is worth, Sichuan Jin River is an easy walk from the Rockville Metro Station.  You don't need a car to get there...really.   

[MSPB3434]

I think I need a lesson on how to properly eat at this place.  I went last night with my wife, and it was pretty awful.  So bad, we essentially walked out on our entrees.  The dan dan noodles were fine, but nothing special.  There are far better versions around.  I thought the noodles themselves were bland and a bit overdone, and the sauce wasn't quite numbing enough.  The zhong dumplings were good.

Then the meal went off the rails.  We had the Chengdu chicken and the smoked duck.  Both were on the specialties section of the menu.  The flavors of the Chengdu chicken were good, but the chicken was so overdone it was almost inedible.  The smoked duck was just plain bad.  Too smoky for my taste.

I admit that we may have just ordered the wrong things, and I see people in this thread raving about dishes we didn't get.  But I think I'd have a hard time convincing myself to go back to try again, especially with so many options nearby.

[DonRocks]

I think I need a lesson on how to properly eat at this place.  I went last night with my wife, and it was pretty awful.  So bad, we essentially walked out on our entrees.  The dan dan noodles were fine, but nothing special.  There are far better versions around.  I thought the noodles themselves were bland and a bit overdone, and the sauce wasn't quite numbing enough.  The zhong dumplings were good.

Then the meal went off the rails.  We had the Chengdu chicken and the smoked duck.  Both were on the specialties section of the menu.  The flavors of the Chengdu chicken were good, but the chicken was so overdone it was almost inedible.  The smoked duck was just plain bad.  Too smoky for my taste.

I admit that we may have just ordered the wrong things, and I see people in this thread raving about dishes we didn't get.  But I think I'd have a hard time convincing myself to go back to try again, especially with so many options nearby.

FWIW, you're the second straight person I've heard this from.

[deangold]

Its been a long while since we had a great dish there.  We have expereinced good to OK to a couple of dispiriting ones.  We have gone back very infrequently hoping for a return to brilliance.  The heat still pack a wallop, but there is nothing beyond the  heat.

[seanvtaylor]

I think that many locals, myself included, have sensed that something, or someone, has disappeared from what used to be an amazing restaurant. We were at Bob's a few weeks ago, waiting with a crowd outside to be seated in a completely full restaurant, and saw hardly any cars in the Sichuan parking lot.

[ktmoomau]

Ok, so if I wanted to eat Chinese in Rockville with my SIL, who liked Bob's but isn't a big fan of spicy or different food, should I take her here or go somewhere else?  The newest reviews don't seem to be promising.

[pras]

I picked up food there last Wednesday and it was full.  The food was enjoyable.  I tend to like Joe's better, although it seems that Joe's has been receiving mixed reviews lately.

[DanielK]

What's good here is the Sichuan, which is mostly spicy, but like pras I think that Joe's is better these days.

For non-spicy Chinese in Rockville I would consider China Bistro (Bejing-style dumplings), East Pearl (Cantonese), A&J (Northern Chinese/Taiwanese).

[seanvtaylor]

What's good here is the Sichuan, which is mostly spicy, but like pras I think that Joe's is better these days.

For non-spicy Chinese in Rockville I would consider China Bistro (Bejing-style dumplings), East Pearl (Cantonese), A&J (Northern Chinese/Taiwanese).

I'd also throw in Taipei Cafe and Bob's Shanghai. We've had some nice dishes from both, and they are in fairly regular rotation for us along with what you've mentioned above.

[pras]

Got two dishes for carryout today.  Cold dried shredded tofu w/ dried bamboo shoots (spicy) and Chengdu Chicken.  Both were really good, the appetizer was a nice level of heat, slightly numbing.  The chicken was a really great dish, with tons of spice (dried red peppers and sliced green spicy peppers), and lots of szechuan peppercorns.  My mouth was on fire, but it was also numb, so all in all a great mix.

[pras]

As is typical this time of year, I got out of work a bit late and didn't feel like making anything for dinner.  Daughter was already asleep, so I thought I would stop in and pick something up for dinner.  I didn't know what I wanted, so I thought I would try something different.  I saw a picture on the menu which looked different.  It was a "dry saute hot pot".  The picture looked amazing.  I asked what it was, the response--shrimp, beef, tripe, fish cake, squid, lotus root.  I figured I had to give it a try.  Got it home and it had all of the above and a ton of king mushroom and some cilantro.  The king mushroom added a really nice depth, the tripe was very tender, the lotus root gave a nice tooth to the dish, all of the other parts played a good supporting role.  I asked for ma la, it wasn't that spicy, but a good level of heat and there were some sichuan peppercorns mixed throughout.  All in all a very good dish.

[Marty L.]

Have heard rumors of an ownership change (but not necessarily a downhill turn). Anyone been lately?

[deangold]

Months ago. Seemed to be same people. Good but tired: worn booths and tables, indifferent service even for them. Perhaps a change in ownership would be good.

[Marty L.]

37 minutes ago, deangold said:

Months ago. Seemed to be same people. Good but tired: worn booths and tables, indifferent service even for them. Perhaps a change in ownership would be good.

Fair to assume, then, that it's not where you'll be spending Jewish Xmas tonight?  In the lamentable absence of our usual 12/24 haunt Grace Garden (may it rest in peace), we might give SJR a shot, having had dozens of great meals there over the years.

[deangold]

I am doing a catering tomorrow so today was a lot of cooking. Tomorrow we might get Chinese after the catering, don't know where. Probably Vinh Ky.

[Marty L.]

The family that long owned Sichuan Jin River retired this past year and sold it to a group consisting of some of the longstanding employees (or so I was told).  Menu and quality (and some of those cooking in the kitchen) are pretty much the same, with a smattering of welcome additions, including a cauliflower dry hot pot and cumin lamb.  FWIW, well over 80% of the patrons this evening were Chinese.

[DonRocks]

10 minutes ago, Marty L. said:

The family that long owned Sichuan Jin River retired this past year and sold it to a group consisting of some of the longstanding employees (or so I was told).  Menu and quality (and some of those cooking in the kitchen) are pretty much the same, with a smattering of welcome additions, including a cauliflower dry hot pot and cumin lamb.  FWIW, well over 80% of the patrons this evening were Chinese.

Can you describe the Cauliflower Dry Hot Pot? Is it worth getting as a main dish, or is it better as an accompaniment?

[Marty L.]

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Can you describe the Cauliflower Dry Hot Pot?

https://thewoksoflife.com/dry-pot-cauliflower/

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/dry-fried-cauliflower/

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Can you describe the Cauliflower Dry Hot Pot? Is it worth getting as a main dish, or is it better as an accompaniment?

It's definitely a main dish--complex combination of flavors, with many veggies and a bit of pork.  Not especially spicy--more of a vinegar-like taste. Not at all bland.

[deangold]

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section.

[pras]

1 hour ago, deangold said:

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section.

I am interested depending on day/time.

[Marty L.]

29 minutes ago, pras said:

I am interested depending on day/time.

I'm always up for it, schedule permitting.  Just had a great sichuan lunch, btw, at Fahrenheit in McLean (too small for a large group).

[TheMatt]

5 hours ago, deangold said:

Just want to gauge the interest in a dinner here. Probably under $30 per person. The menu will be pre selected with a balance of spicy and milder dishes. But if you are not into hot, garlic etc, this is not the best place for you. If there is general interest I will post an event in the events section.

I'd be up for it, depending on day/date/time.

[ktmoomau]

Dean- just count me in as a possibility for pretty much any group dinner- if I can make the date and time.  Always willing to travel around the DMV too (although if we are going a good ways, I also wouldn't say no to carpooling with anyone who may want a ride, or may want to give a ride).  

[Ericandblueboy]

Interested.

[deangold]

I am thinking of a Sunday early for this. Cannot be march 8.

[Ericandblueboy]

I can do 3/1 or 3/15.

[ktmoomau]

I think DanielK said Pizza Cs thing might be on March 29, so I wouldn't plan it for that day either.

[DanielK]

I can do 3/1 or 3/15, but only dinner.

[deangold]

Posted in events for 3/1 at 5pm.

[deangold]

Here is the link to the event page

[deangold]

Stopping by to finalize arrangements, I enjoyed lunch. The XLB was a little doughy as far as the skins were concerneddd, and Bob right down the block would ahve been a better choice for delicate skins. But the juice and meat had a really tasty spice note to them yo don't see at Bob's or Shanghai Taste. So worth it but probably not an order again item.

My main was Sliced Pork & Vegetables in Fiery Soup hot. While I have had lots of water braised beef and fish, and even lamb the other week at Panda Gourmet, pork was a first. The dish was delicious with the soup richer and more complex than other versions and the pork slices were properly marinated in egg white and cornstarch to make for a velvety texture. This was a really utstanding dish.

I also met the owner who told me she took over 18 months ago. The waiters were much friendlier than under the old ownership {a number of them hald over} and all in all I am more excited for Sunday's Dinner. They really don't have anything that is special order ahead, but I got a few recommendations including one dish only on the specials board in Chinese and not on the regular menu: beef belly in spicy sauce. Definitely want an order of that as they said it was really one of their best dishes!

[deangold]

We were 9 for a stunning dinner at Sichuan Jin River. We ordered 6 small plates and 6 large. I am in pretty much of a food coma so I might not remember all 12, but here goes:

Husband & Wife slices: here the infamous husband and wife were actually a throuple. Beef, beef tendon and tripe in a rich, spicy sauce with a dose of Sichuan peppercorn for a great balance of ma and la. Really stunning version, probably as good as I have ever had, reminded me of the one at Grace Garden but a unique twist on a Sichuan classic. Our waiter described it as the most popular cold dish and it is easy to see why. 

Fungus Salad: wood ear, pickled peppers, some shreds of garlic in a sprightly, vinegar dominated sauce. Really good.

Spicy Bean Jelly Noodle {not sure of it is the Northern style or the one just listed as chilled.} Just a top notch version with a big dollop of mala sauce: chile oil, crispy chiles, sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger, green onion. You need to be sure and stir this well to coat the jelly with the sauce as the jelly is purely a texture element. Absolutely top notch.

Anchovies w. Roasted Peanuts & Hot Peppers: a big plate of peanuts with a  few chiles and a tangle of tiny white salted and fried fish. The fish were the length of a basmati rice grain but 1/4 or less in diameter. They were strewn in abundance over the peanuts. Again, one of the best takes I have ever had and a unique twist on a ubiquitous dish. 

Sichuan Beef Jerky: traditional recipes I have seen for this dish involve stewing a tough cut of beef in a sauce until absorbed, then leaving at the edge of the stove to cook slowly from residual heat until the meat is chewy but not the chewiness of American, Thai or Indonesian styles. I think I have only had this at Joe's Noodle House and this version really blew me away. Sweet, salty, beefy, dense and chewy but not tough. Again, a unique twist on a traditional dish.

Smoked Duck: fine but standard version. Probably would have been really good anywhere else but it got lost in the brilliance of the other dishes. 

Mains:

Beef Belly: brilliant dish of thin slices of beef belly in a brown gravy with some veggies. It was spectacularly good but some of the details  got lost in the abundance.} The dish comes on a surprise bed of thin noodle. Once the meat and veg is gone, the noodle and the sauce make fine slurping. This is not on the English menu but is the dish on the specials board listed only in Chinese. Unlike my visits under the old ownership where getting recommendations was difficult and finding out what was on the menu from the white board is hard, Jimmy Lee our waiter was a gem at helping out. They also make a cold dish with beef belly so be sure to distinguish.

Lamb Hot Pot: Another brilliant dish. This was lamb meat with veggies like carrots, peppers in a spicy but not mala sauce. It was soupy, the sauce came up to the height of the ingredients. So good.

Dry Pot: lotus root, flounder chunks, shrimp, greens, carrots, other stuff in a well spiced dry fry showing off mala spicing as well. Several people at the table ate at the old Wang's up Rockville Pike and we all agreed that this was as good or better than Wang's. We need a meal at Wang's to compare. Superb.

Flounder with vegetables in Fiery Soup: This is usually referred to as Boiled {main protein} in Fiery Sauce or Water Braised {Main protein} and the main protein is typically beef or flounder. The protein is marinated in egg white, cornstarch and flavorings. The proteins usually gets a quick fry to set the marinade into a coating but not cooking the ingredient fully, and set aside. Then a sauce is built with green onion, ginger, garlic, Sichuan hot bean paste, soy, and after these ingredients are cooked into a mass with a slick of oil on it, broth is added, then glass noodle, cabbage and bean sprouts, and finally the protein.  This example with flounder was again superb. The flounder pieces were plump and juicy and the coating gave an interesting texture: nowt soggy but wet. The sauce was super with a high quality broth used I suspect it was a chicken/pork broth so pescatarians beware. The pork version I had at lunch last Friday and this version were both fantastic  and worthy of slurping up the soup. Joe's is justly famous for this dish and Panda Gourmet makes a killer version. This version is equal to the other and is more refined, not better, just more refined.

Eggplant Yu Hsiang style {listed on the menu as Eggplant w/Ground Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce} Several people said this was the dish of the night and I would not argue. This dish is ubiquitous on modern Chinese menus and tonight's version was as good as any other I have ever had. If I need to quibble, the sauce was the slightest touch too strong with vinegar but this sauce is known as fish fragrant and was originally designed to go with an oily fish, so the vinegar is there to cut the oiliness. The eggplant is fried in oil first so this dish can become an oil bomb or the eggplant can get creamy but heavy with absorbed oil. Not here. This was perfectly cooked eggplant. The dish was a standout and Kay thinks I am crazy to quibble it and she is probably right. But Kay thinks I am crazy without any restrictions on the crazy so I leave it to you to decide. But I usually agree with her wisdom {or say I do to her face, I sleep more than she does!}

Pea Shoot Leaves Amazingly good. Much better than standard versions. 

Whole Tilapia with Pickled Peppers: this dish suffered as being merely good in a sea of incredible. I didn't have much so I can't comment more than to note the ratio of sauce to pickled pepper seemed to favor the sauce. Next time I get a group together, I will see in advance of they can get a more interesting whole fish like snapper or fluke, and as well a larger one.

A large bucket of rice was served and it again was outstanding. 

If it seems like I said unique or best a lot, I did. Not since the infamous meal at China Boy where Claudia and Scott met have I had a Sichuan style meal so good. It ranks as one of the great Sichuan meals of my life. the word refined comes to mind a lot. Not fancy or gussied up but just incredibly balanced. This was the outstanding meal I htink we all were hoping for when we had a plain old good meal at Mama Chang's. This meal was the same price and much much much MUCH better. The flavors jumped yet balance was the overriding feature.

Next I need to shout out at the outstanding service. Jimmy Lee seems to be the head waiter and he is generous with his recommendations. He not only pointed out dishes but helped us assemble a meal with no repeating flavors. He made a great meal even better. Often getting a wiater in a Chinese restaurant {really

any restaurant these days} to give recommendations is difficult. But Jimmy kept saying "we do different Sichuan dishes and nothing Americanized. He was truly a prod ambassador of a really outstanding restaurant. I did not get their name but the runner and the busser were hard working and always jumping in to make the meal extra special. The warmth of our reception was on par with the outstanding food.

I must admit I was skeptical when MartyL brought up Sichuan Jin River but I usually agree with his on Chinese food so I decided to put this outing together. He is right and my life is better from his recommendation!

If you love spicy foods in general and Sichuan food in particular, you need to go here.

On 12/25/2019 at 12:51 AM, Marty L. said:

The family that long owned Sichuan Jin River retired this past year and sold it to a group consisting of some of the longstanding employees (or so I was told).  Menu and quality (and some of those cooking in the kitchen) are pretty much the same, with a smattering of welcome additions, including a cauliflower dry hot pot and cumin lamb.  FWIW, well over 80% of the patrons this evening were Chinese.

[Marty L.]

3 hours ago, deangold said:

We were 9 for a stunning dinner at Sichuan Jin River. We ordered 6 small plates and 6 large. I am in pretty much of a food coma so I might not remember all 12, but here goes:

Husband & Wife slices: here the infamous husband and wife were actually a throuple. Beef, beef tendon and tripe in a rich, spicy sauce with a dose of Sichuan peppercorn for a great balance of ma and la. Really stunning version, probably as good as I have ever had, reminded me of the one at Grace Garden but a unique twist on a Sichuan classic. Our waiter described it as the most popular cold dish and it is easy to see why. 

Fungus Salad: wood ear, pickled peppers, some shreds of garlic in a sprightly, vinegar dominated sauce. Really good.

Spicy Bean Jelly Noodle {not sure of it is the Northern style or the one just listed as chilled.} Just a top notch version with a big dollop of mala sauce: chile oil, crispy chiles, sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger, green onion. You need to be sure and stir this well to coat the jelly with the sauce as the jelly is purely a texture element. Absolutely top notch.

Anchovies w. Roasted Peanuts & Hot Peppers: a big plate of peanuts with a  few chiles and a tangle of tiny white salted and fried fish. The fish were the length of a basmati rice grain but 1/4 or less in diameter. They were strewn in abundance over the peanuts. Again, one of the best takes I have ever had and a unique twist on a ubiquitous dish. 

Sichuan Beef Jerky: traditional recipes I have seen for this dish involve stewing a tough cut of beef in a sauce until absorbed, then leaving at the edge of the stove to cook slowly from residual heat until the meat is chewy but not the chewiness of American, Thai or Indonesian styles. I think I have only had this at Joe's Noodle House and this version really blew me away. Sweet, salty, beefy, dense and chewy but not tough. Again, a unique twist on a traditional dish.

Smoked Duck: fine but standard version. Probably would have been really good anywhere else but it got lost in the brilliance of the other dishes. 

Mains:

Beef Belly: brilliant dish of thin slices of beef belly in a brown gravy with some veggies. It was spectacularly good but some of the details  got lost in the abundance.} The dish comes on a surprise bed of thin noodle. Once the meat and veg is gone, the noodle and the sauce make fine slurping. This is not on the English menu but is the dish on the specials board listed only in Chinese. Unlike my visits under the old ownership where getting recommendations was difficult and finding out what was on the menu from the white board is hard, Jimmy Lee our waiter was a gem at helping out. They also make a cold dish with beef belly so be sure to distinguish.

Lamb Hot Pot: Another brilliant dish. This was lamb meat with veggies like carrots, peppers in a spicy but not mala sauce. It was soupy, the sauce came up to the height of the ingredients. So good.

Dry Pot: lotus root, flounder chunks, shrimp, greens, carrots, other stuff in a well spiced dry fry showing off mala spicing as well. Several people at the table ate at the old Wang's up Rockville Pike and we all agreed that this was as good or better than Wang's. We need a meal at Wang's to compare. Superb.

Flounder with vegetables in Fiery Soup: This is usually referred to as Boiled {main protein} in Fiery Sauce or Water Braised {Main protein} and the main protein is typically beef or flounder. The protein is marinated in egg white, cornstarch and flavorings. The proteins usually gets a quick fry to set the marinade into a coating but not cooking the ingredient fully, and set aside. Then a sauce is built with green onion, ginger, garlic, Sichuan hot bean paste, soy, and after these ingredients are cooked into a mass with a slick of oil on it, broth is added, then glass noodle, cabbage and bean sprouts, and finally the protein.  This example with flounder was again superb. The flounder pieces were plump and juicy and the coating gave an interesting texture: nowt soggy but wet. The sauce was super with a high quality broth used I suspect it was a chicken/pork broth so pescatarians beware. The pork version I had at lunch last Friday and this version were both fantastic  and worthy of slurping up the soup. Joe's is justly famous for this dish and Panda Gourmet makes a killer version. This version is equal to the other and is more refined, not better, just more refined.

Eggplant Yu Hsiang style {listed on the menu as Eggplant w/Ground Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce} Several people said this was the dish of the night and I would not argue. This dish is ubiquitous on modern Chinese menus and tonight's version was as good as any other I have ever had. If I need to quibble, the sauce was the slightest touch too strong with vinegar but this sauce is known as fish fragrant and was originally designed to go with an oily fish, so the vinegar is there to cut the oiliness. The eggplant is fried in oil first so this dish can become an oil bomb or the eggplant can get creamy but heavy with absorbed oil. Not here. This was perfectly cooked eggplant. The dish was a standout and Kay thinks I am crazy to quibble it and she is probably right. But Kay thinks I am crazy without any restrictions on the crazy so I leave it to you to decide. But I usually agree with her wisdom {or say I do to her face, I sleep more than she does!}

Pea Shoot Leaves Amazingly good. Much better than standard versions. 

Whole Tilapia with Pickled Peppers: this dish suffered as being merely good in a sea of incredible. I didn't have much so I can't comment more than to note the ratio of sauce to pickled pepper seemed to favor the sauce. Next time I get a group together, I will see in advance of they can get a more interesting whole fish like snapper or fluke, and as well a larger one.

A large bucket of rice was served and it again was outstanding. 

If it seems like I said unique or best a lot, I did. Not since the infamous meal at China Boy where Claudia and Scott met have I had a Sichuan style meal so good. It ranks as one of the great Sichuan meals of my life. the word refined comes to mind a lot. Not fancy or gussied up but just incredibly balanced. This was the outstanding meal I htink we all were hoping for when we had a plain old good meal at Mama Chang's. This meal was the same price and much much much MUCH better. The flavors jumped yet balance was the overriding feature.

Next I need to shout out at the outstanding service. Jimmy Lee seems to be the head waiter and he is generous with his recommendations. He not only pointed out dishes but helped us assemble a meal with no repeating flavors. He made a great meal even better. Often getting a wiater in a Chinese restaurant {really

any restaurant these days} to give recommendations is difficult. But Jimmy kept saying "we do different Sichuan dishes and nothing Americanized. He was truly a prod ambassador of a really outstanding restaurant. I did not get their name but the runner and the busser were hard working and always jumping in to make the meal extra special. The warmth of our reception was on par with the outstanding food.

I must admit I was skeptical when MartyL brought up Sichuan Jin River but I usually agree with his on Chinese food so I decided to put this outing together. He is right and my life is better from his recommendation!

If you love spicy foods in general and Sichuan food in particular, you need to go here.

So glad it lived up to my hype.  I haven't even had half those dishes--can't wait to try them!

[cheezepowder]

23 hours ago, hopsing said:

We went to China Wok last night, partly because I hadn't had Peking duck in a while, partly to support Chinese restaurants.  They are taking a beating from the coronavirus scare and business is off.  Sure enough the place was half empty when normally, on a Saturday night, it would be jammed.  Nonetheless, Peking duck was excellent as were our other 2 dishes, eggplant tofu casserole (not soggy - the eggplant and tofu held their structure and taste) and salt and pepper shrimp (big jumbo shrimp with light batter with American broccoli).

Please support your local Chinese restaurants during the coronavirus crisis.

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Even Thai Square - usually packed on Thursday evenings, both for dine-in and carry-out, seemed rather empty when I was in there.

March 2, 2020 WUSA article - The owner of Sichuan Jin River has noticed a drop in business.

Sounds like it was a good time for the dinner that Dean organized and describes above.

[deangold]

25 minutes ago, cheezepowder said:

March 2, 2020 WUSA article - The owner of Sichuan Jin River has noticed a drop in business.

Sounds like it was a good time for the dinner that Dean organized and describes above.

Lat night at 5pm when we arrives, they had several tables. The lower portion of the restaurant, filled with booths for 2 and 4, seemed to be doing good business but only a few of the large tables wire occupied. We stayed until almost 8.30 so we say their entire night basically. Can't compare it to pre-virus levels as I have not been there in so long but I would say that their business was at most, fair. We are doing aother dinner March 19 at Panda Gourmet and Kay and I still plan on our trip to flushing in early April. We will follow all reccomendations from the authority but for now we are really trying to support Chinese businesses we love. 

[Ericandblueboy]

Good dinner but not necessarily better than Hong Kong Palace (or Asian Origin).  The tilapia is decidedly mediocre.  A whole fish is judged by Chinese on (1) whether it's fishy, and (2) whether the flavor has penetrated the protein.  The tilapia still had a hint of fishiness and didn't pick up the flavor of the sauce.  The group dinner we had at Xian Gourmet was better in my opinion (but I also had off nights at Xian Gourmet).

Guess my point is, go check out all the Chinese places  (don't know about Peter Chang in Rockville, at one point the Arlington branch was really good, Xian Gourmet is good, I love Bob's Shanghai, etc.).

[pras]

9 hours ago, deangold said:

We were 9 for a stunning dinner at Sichuan Jin River. We ordered 6 small plates and 6 large. I am in pretty much of a food coma so I might not remember all 12, but here goes:

Husband & Wife slices: here the infamous husband and wife were actually a throuple. Beef, beef tendon and tripe in a rich, spicy sauce with a dose of Sichuan peppercorn for a great balance of ma and la. Really stunning version, probably as good as I have ever had, reminded me of the one at Grace Garden but a unique twist on a Sichuan classic. Our waiter described it as the most popular cold dish and it is easy to see why. 

Fungus Salad: wood ear, pickled peppers, some shreds of garlic in a sprightly, vinegar dominated sauce. Really good.

Spicy Bean Jelly Noodle {not sure of it is the Northern style or the one just listed as chilled.} Just a top notch version with a big dollop of mala sauce: chile oil, crispy chiles, sichuan peppercorn, garlic, ginger, green onion. You need to be sure and stir this well to coat the jelly with the sauce as the jelly is purely a texture element. Absolutely top notch.

Anchovies w. Roasted Peanuts & Hot Peppers: a big plate of peanuts with a  few chiles and a tangle of tiny white salted and fried fish. The fish were the length of a basmati rice grain but 1/4 or less in diameter. They were strewn in abundance over the peanuts. Again, one of the best takes I have ever had and a unique twist on a ubiquitous dish. 

Sichuan Beef Jerky: traditional recipes I have seen for this dish involve stewing a tough cut of beef in a sauce until absorbed, then leaving at the edge of the stove to cook slowly from residual heat until the meat is chewy but not the chewiness of American, Thai or Indonesian styles. I think I have only had this at Joe's Noodle House and this version really blew me away. Sweet, salty, beefy, dense and chewy but not tough. Again, a unique twist on a traditional dish.

Smoked Duck: fine but standard version. Probably would have been really good anywhere else but it got lost in the brilliance of the other dishes. 

Mains:

Beef Belly: brilliant dish of thin slices of beef belly in a brown gravy with some veggies. It was spectacularly good but some of the details  got lost in the abundance.} The dish comes on a surprise bed of thin noodle. Once the meat and veg is gone, the noodle and the sauce make fine slurping. This is not on the English menu but is the dish on the specials board listed only in Chinese. Unlike my visits under the old ownership where getting recommendations was difficult and finding out what was on the menu from the white board is hard, Jimmy Lee our waiter was a gem at helping out. They also make a cold dish with beef belly so be sure to distinguish.

Lamb Hot Pot: Another brilliant dish. This was lamb meat with veggies like carrots, peppers in a spicy but not mala sauce. It was soupy, the sauce came up to the height of the ingredients. So good.

Dry Pot: lotus root, flounder chunks, shrimp, greens, carrots, other stuff in a well spiced dry fry showing off mala spicing as well. Several people at the table ate at the old Wang's up Rockville Pike and we all agreed that this was as good or better than Wang's. We need a meal at Wang's to compare. Superb.

Flounder with vegetables in Fiery Soup: This is usually referred to as Boiled {main protein} in Fiery Sauce or Water Braised {Main protein} and the main protein is typically beef or flounder. The protein is marinated in egg white, cornstarch and flavorings. The proteins usually gets a quick fry to set the marinade into a coating but not cooking the ingredient fully, and set aside. Then a sauce is built with green onion, ginger, garlic, Sichuan hot bean paste, soy, and after these ingredients are cooked into a mass with a slick of oil on it, broth is added, then glass noodle, cabbage and bean sprouts, and finally the protein.  This example with flounder was again superb. The flounder pieces were plump and juicy and the coating gave an interesting texture: nowt soggy but wet. The sauce was super with a high quality broth used I suspect it was a chicken/pork broth so pescatarians beware. The pork version I had at lunch last Friday and this version were both fantastic  and worthy of slurping up the soup. Joe's is justly famous for this dish and Panda Gourmet makes a killer version. This version is equal to the other and is more refined, not better, just more refined.

Eggplant Yu Hsiang style {listed on the menu as Eggplant w/Ground Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce} Several people said this was the dish of the night and I would not argue. This dish is ubiquitous on modern Chinese menus and tonight's version was as good as any other I have ever had. If I need to quibble, the sauce was the slightest touch too strong with vinegar but this sauce is known as fish fragrant and was originally designed to go with an oily fish, so the vinegar is there to cut the oiliness. The eggplant is fried in oil first so this dish can become an oil bomb or the eggplant can get creamy but heavy with absorbed oil. Not here. This was perfectly cooked eggplant. The dish was a standout and Kay thinks I am crazy to quibble it and she is probably right. But Kay thinks I am crazy without any restrictions on the crazy so I leave it to you to decide. But I usually agree with her wisdom {or say I do to her face, I sleep more than she does!}

Pea Shoot Leaves Amazingly good. Much better than standard versions. 

Whole Tilapia with Pickled Peppers: this dish suffered as being merely good in a sea of incredible. I didn't have much so I can't comment more than to note the ratio of sauce to pickled pepper seemed to favor the sauce. Next time I get a group together, I will see in advance of they can get a more interesting whole fish like snapper or fluke, and as well a larger one.

A large bucket of rice was served and it again was outstanding. 

If it seems like I said unique or best a lot, I did. Not since the infamous meal at China Boy where Claudia and Scott met have I had a Sichuan style meal so good. It ranks as one of the great Sichuan meals of my life. the word refined comes to mind a lot. Not fancy or gussied up but just incredibly balanced. This was the outstanding meal I htink we all were hoping for when we had a plain old good meal at Mama Chang's. This meal was the same price and much much much MUCH better. The flavors jumped yet balance was the overriding feature.

Next I need to shout out at the outstanding service. Jimmy Lee seems to be the head waiter and he is generous with his recommendations. He not only pointed out dishes but helped us assemble a meal with no repeating flavors. He made a great meal even better. Often getting a wiater in a Chinese restaurant {really

any restaurant these days} to give recommendations is difficult. But Jimmy kept saying "we do different Sichuan dishes and nothing Americanized. He was truly a prod ambassador of a really outstanding restaurant. I did not get their name but the runner and the busser were hard working and always jumping in to make the meal extra special. The warmth of our reception was on par with the outstanding food.

I must admit I was skeptical when MartyL brought up Sichuan Jin River but I usually agree with his on Chinese food so I decided to put this outing together. He is right and my life is better from his recommendation!

If you love spicy foods in general and Sichuan food in particular, you need to go here.

Dean--thank you for putting this together.  Sorry I was a bit late, I guess I missread the call time as 5:30.  Nevertheless the selections were great.  I ate way too much but enjoyed everything and the company.  I will put something together for Want soon.