Seven Stars Pepper

[halland]

Last night a group of five of us met to try Seven Stars Pepper, a newer Sichuan restaurant in a strip mall at 12th and Jackson. It had come highly recommended to us on the advice of some friends who recently had a culinary epiphany there.

Three of us arrived at 6, before the other two, and were promptly seated at the last round table in the place. We were immediately brought tea and water and then it took us another 15 minutes of (actual) arm waving to attract enough attention to order some beers and an appetizer. I don't think that our seeming invisiblity was intentional by the servers, rather I think the fact that the restaurant wasn't completely full yet allowed the staff to get everything prepared.

We started with the steamed dumplings in a spicy pepper sauce. These were what dumplings should be -- light pillowy pasta surrounding a plump, meaty center full of pork, ginger, and scallion flavors and a hint of of 5 spice (or maybe just cinnamon). The sauce the dumplings were served in was delicious and we drank it down after finishing the dumplings themselves.

The rest of our group arrived by 6:40, a little later than we'd planned. (I should mention that while we had to work to get someone to bring us beers, we were never made to feel guilty for hogging the table while waiting for our friends.) By that time the place had really filled up and was in full swing. Pretty much everyone there was ordering hot pot and almost every table had a burner with a pot of simmering broth atop it. Servers raced around with plates piled 8" high with curls of shaved raw beef and lamb.

While we were tempted by the hot pot, we decided instead to order a selection of dishes off the menu.

We ordered:

Potstickers

Dry cooked string beans with prawns

Sichuan beef

Twice cooked pork

Eggplant in garlic sauce

Ants on a log

The potstickers were very good, and quite large. I think the filling was the same or very similar to what was in the dumplings.

I don't think its possible to eat bad dry cooked beans, and these were very good if maybe a little too saucy.

The sichuan beef was delicious; large slices of beef and large pieces of roasted peppers in a spicy sauce. I noticed at the end of the meal that even the pepper pieces all got eaten.

I was the only one at the table that really liked the twice cooked pork, which I attribute to the fact that it was made from fatty pork belly rather than from a leaner cut, but it was delicious. Large pieces (2"x2"x1/4") of pork in a light soy based sauce with some bell pepper and scallions.

The eggplant in garlic sauce was sweeter than I think any of us expected but it was very good. It had an interesting aftertaste that I just can't figure out, the flavor didn't really linger in your mouth, but if you breathed in through your mouth you could taste it.

Last, and one of my favorite Sichuan dishes, was Ants on a log. This is glass noodles with ground pork, ginger, soy sauce, and some other seasonings. This was by far the best dish we had.

My companions felt the dishes were a little greasy, and they were greasier than some other places, but I felt it was good tasting grease and so was ok.

Total with tip came to around $80.

I'd definately go back as there were some dishes on the menu that looked interesting (octopus in white sauce and quite a few lamb dishes) but in general I'll stick to my old standby, which is right across the street. Its simply named "Sichuanese Cuisine" and has the great potstickers and dumplings in large quantities for low cost (25 for $4.50, or something like that!) and by far the best dry cooked string beans I've eaten.

Hal

[Dej]

Ha! I saw you last night, then! I too was in a group of 5, but we didn't have the luxury of a nice large table. We arrived a little after 6 and had to push two tables together because some trio was holding up the last round one in the joint waiting for some deadbeat friends.

Of course, I'm kidding. it was fine. really.

Anyway, your excellent review and this strange coincidence has inspired me to emerge from egullet lurkdom and make my first post in reply to yours.

It turns out my parents are regulars at 7 star so we got good service (I should have guessed when that was my mom's first choice for her birthday dinner). I've only been there a few times but have really liked it. In fact I had my very first szechuan peppercorn there, just a month ago. (did you have any? two of our dishes were loaded).

here's what we had:

fish in spicy bean paste sauce

house special chow mein (with hand-shaven noodles)

Szechuan chile/pepper crab

Smoked pork or something (with leeks and bacon)

shredded potatoes with chiles

"chongqing" chicken

The handmade noodles are definitely worth trying, should you go back (and I think you should). Our crab was actually very good -- deep fried with chiles, peanuts, and a pile of peppercorns, and garnished with green onions (which are probably safe, right?). I'm still new to the szechuan peppercorn thing so i had a good time with them ("I can't feel my tongue"). The fish was steamed or baked and drowned in a thick sauce of bean paste, black vinegar, and chiles (among other things, I'm sure). The smoked pork/bacon/leek dish was my favorite, though beware -- combined with those shredded potatoes, you might wish you had a cup of coffee and a fried egg or two. The Chongqing chicken was just deep fried chicken bits (they should just be honest about it and call it szechuan-style popcorn chicken). I'm not sure how, but it's my mom's favorite dish there. I'm a little worried.

I also noticed a surprising amount of oil in the stir-fried dishes (though our two deep-fried dishes weren't oily at all -- go figure). I'm not sure what was up with that but it didn't really bother me at all.

I also prefer the other szechuanese place you mentioned for certain dishes (the green beans, dumplings, mapo tofu), though now I'm a szechuan peppercorn addict (and I've never had them at that other place) so I guess I'll be spending more time at 7star. Anyone know any other restaurants where they use it? A lot?

alex

[halland]

Ahh, both the smoked pork and the potato dishes were ones I wanted to order but didn't -- I always want to order the really odd dishes but usually get them shot down by my dining companions. Its good to know that they are worth getting.

Have you tried the shaved noodles at Shanghai Garden? While not particularly Sichuan, I've yet to find any that are as good.

Hal

[Dej]

I particularly recommend trying the shredded potatoes with vinegar -- the one with chiles is a little boring (they actually mixed up our order on Sunday).

I last went to Shanghai Garden like 10 years ago. I had a bad service experience and haven't gone back. Now that I think about it that's sort of stupid. I should try that place again. Particularly if they serve Shanghainese "juicy" dumplings. My girlfriend and I spent 2 weeks in the Shanghai area last spring and the dumplings/pot stickers/buns/other stuffed thingys there were the key takeaways. The pot stickers were actually dangerous -- because of the crispy exterior, they take some work to bite into and when you finally do you might end up wearing the 2 tbsps of juice inside. I did this not just once but twice in a row standing on a street corner ("mmm... pot sticker.. damnit! well, let's go back to the hotel to change. mmm... pot sticker... damnit to hell!!)

alex

[MsRamsey]

So....sichuan peppercorns are available now? They were banned by the USDA a couple of years ago.

[Dej]

Two of the dishes had little brown buds that made my lips and tongue tingle/numb. It was strange and unlike any other spice-related experience I've had (it wasn't just "spicy/hot"). After my first time with them I researched them on this site and found a thread discussing the ban. Someone posted a picture of a bag of them and they looked like what I had. So it's a sort of amateur identification. Maybe someone else can confirm.

The Chongqing chicken, crab, and mapo tofu all had them. They were most apparent (visually) in the fried dishes where they were whole and in some quantity.

alex

[halland]

Its possible that they just smuggle the Sichuan Peppercorns down from Vancouver like I do.

Hal