Szechuan Tasty House

[mrbigjas]

they do indeed, with a minimum order of $15. and they do it in 45 minutes just like they say they do. and when you order, they bring you a gift certificate for $1 off your next order... unless you order $40 worth of food like we did on friday, in which case they gave us a $3 one.

i just wish golden coins could travel. i wonder if i heated up my oven, and put the golden coins in there on a couple layers of brown paper, if they'd refresh well. hmm.... is it worth $8 to find out? i think it is.

[I_call_the_duck]

WOOHOO!!! I think I asked once, and the waitress just gave me a blank look when I said the name of my street. Since they were busy, I didn't want to press the matter any further and just said never mind. (Our next house will be on a street with a much more simple name.)

I'd think the golden coins could be heated up in the oven. Worth a try.

[Tim Dolan]

I was feeling the need for something garlicky and spicy on Tuesday night, so I made my first trip to Szechuan Tasty House to sample the spicy dumplings and braised beef filet Szechuan style. The spicy dumplings totally hit the spot. If I could get these delivered to my house I'd order them at least twice a week. The beef was also quite good, but I have to admit it tested my limits. I would definitely have to be in the mood for a good burn to order that again. The portions were huge and I was stuffed after working my way through them. Girlfriend got the hot and sour soup and the golden coins, but she wasn't crazy about either of them.

On a totally different note, while my girlfriend and I were waiting for our first orders to arrive, a total brawl broke out between a bunch of guys sitting in the back. A bottle was even cracked over some guy's head. I was far enough away that I thought it was hysterical, but I'm certain other people would not be so amused. A few tables did get up and leave as that was going on, and as far as I know, only one other group of intrepid non-Asians diners remained. Cops showed up in about 5 minutes after everything had calmed down and order was restored, but I have NEVER seen anything like that inside a restaurant before.

[philadining]

Tim, that's a wild story about the fracas in the back of the restaurant! I've often seen a somewhat animated crowd of folks at that back table, but they always seemed fairly happy...

Sorry to hear the Golden Coins didn't go over all that well, so far they've been a hit with most folks... and you're right, that braised beef dish does get near the edge of tolerable heat for many of us, but personally 'll keep walking that line from time to time!

[Tim Dolan]

Made a return visit last night and got the spicy dumplings and braised beef Szechuan style again. Really, really good stuff, as has been well documented. I just reheated some of the beef that I had leftover for dinner, it was delicious and held up very well for being a day old. I don't care much for celery so I threw that out.

The same rowdy crowd was in the back and they had some more intense conversations, but thankfully they didn't come to blows with each other. However, there was a bum who came in off the street and began asking people if they would buy him something to eat, buy him coffee or give him bus money. Kind of annoying, but STH seems to attract a pretty unflappable crowd. Never a dull moment at STH on Tuesday nights!

[KatieLoeb]

That's. Interesting.

I've never been in a restaurant where the patrons have come to blows before. Bars, absolutely. (Instant Asshole - Just Add Alcohol comes to mind as the instructions for that scenario) But Szechuan Tasty House would have been pretty far down my list as a likely candidate for that sort of melee. Wow. Who knew?

[Mano]

On a totally different note, while my girlfriend and I were waiting for our first orders to arrive, a total brawl broke out between a bunch of guys sitting in the back. A bottle was even cracked over some guy's head. I was far enough away that I thought it was hysterical, but I'm certain other people would not be so amused. A few tables did get up and leave as that was going on, and as far as I know, only one other group of intrepid non-Asians diners remained. Cops showed up in about 5 minutes after everything had calmed down and order was restored, but I have NEVER seen anything like that inside a restaurant before.

The same rowdy crowd was in the back and they had some more intense conversations, but thankfully they didn't come to blows with each other. However, there was a bum who came in off the street and began asking people if they would buy him something to eat, buy him coffee or give him bus money. Kind of annoying, but STH seems to attract a pretty unflappable crowd. Never a dull moment at STH on Tuesday nights!

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Do they have a cover charge on Tuesdays?

[rockhopper]

I ordered the "eggplant puffs" appetizer since golden coins are such a hit with us and they seem to know what to do with eggplant. Well, they are the same thing. Half the number of "coins" with a different sauce on the side - so don't do what I did - order both. Actually after chomping through 18 of these "coins" we still weren't sick of them, but won't order both again. But it's an option if you want a taste of the coins but not eat a plate of 12.

btw, I stopped by for one of their "lunch specials". They do straight ahead chicken with garlic sauce very well too.

Edited April 12, 2007 by rockhopper (log)

[philadining]

Good tip, Rockhopper! So, what's the Puff's sauce like?

[rockhopper]

Good tip, Rockhopper!  So, what's the Puff's sauce like?

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Actually I like the golden coin sauce better. With the eggplant puffs the sauce is thinner like plain soy with some grated ginger in it. Not bad though.

[philadining]

Dang Dang Noodles

Cold Chicken in a Spicy Sauce

It's actually more sweet and gingery than spicy, like the dumpling sauce... This is significantly milder, and a bit more elegant, as in better chicken, more thinly sliced, than across the street at Chung King.

Golden Coins (of course)

Pork in Garlic Sauce

Twice-Cooked Pork (of course)

Shredded Duck with Ginger

and some complimentary fried bananas at the end

All of it was rocking good, and this particular selection wasn't especially spicy, for those of you worried about frying your taste buds. Probably the spiciest thing was the peppers in the twice-cooked pork, and even those were not incendiary.

The back table was indeed rowdy and loud, but thankfully there were no bottle-fights. We'd brought a couple of 750ml bottles of Peche Lambic, partly as a good match for the food, but partly because we thought they'd be good self-defense weapons if something serious went down...

Edited May 3, 2007 by philadining (log)

[mrbigjas]

they do indeed, with a minimum order of $15.  and they do it in 45 minutes just like they say they do.  and when you order, they bring you a gift certificate for $1 off your next order... unless you order $40 worth of food like we did on friday, in which case they gave us a $3 one.

i just wish golden coins could travel.  i wonder if i heated up my oven, and put the golden coins in there on a couple layers of brown paper, if they'd refresh well.  hmm.... is it worth $8 to find out?  i think it is.

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hey phil's post just reminded me that i never reported back on this: it totally works. sure they're not as totally light and crisp as when first fried, but they're definitely good enough to make it worth the effort.

[mrbigjas]

All of it was rocking good, and this particular selection wasn't especially spicy, for those of you worried about frying your taste buds.  Probably the spiciest thing was the peppers in the twice-cooked pork, and even those were not incendiary.

i have to admit i've noticed that the spice level seems to have gone down the last few times i've had food from there. i wonder if that's because i'm ordering delivery, so they're assuming that it's just some random person ordering random chinese? i mean, as compared to showing up at the place and specifically ordering all the szechuan specialties.

[Jeff L]

Phil, was your brother back in town or was all that food just for you?

Seriously, again really nice pictures and makes me pissed that I stopped off on my way back from Delaware last night to Tony Luke's for a roast pork Italiano instead of going to STH. Well, not really pissed I guess.

[philadining]

Got the Eggplant Puffs, because I was grabbing takeout for just me, and couldn't bear the thought of some of the Golden Coins going soggy... As Rockhopper reported, they're the same as the Golden coins, just fewer of them, and a basic soy dipping sauce. Only moderately dangerous to eat in while driving.

And an order of Chicken in Spicy Tangy Sauce. Big slices of tender chicken, some carrots and snow peas, excellent sauce. A little spicy, a little tangy.

[rockhopper]

The takeout menu holder has an interesting message. Not only is the food tasty but it's good for kidney patients. All that water putting the fire out maybe.

[KatieLoeb]

Actually, dialysis patients are allowed a very limited liquid intake daily, so Szechuan food would probably not be a good choice since you do need so much water/wine/beer to quench the flames.

[lfabio2007]

Well! We finally got here, after a few missed tries. And I have to say it was good, no doubt. But..... we were not tremendously impressed.

We had the golden coins, which were... OK.

We had the ginger duck, which was very good.

And the twice cooked pork was good but not.. extraordinary? The 'extraordinary' part was in the heat. That, definitely, was... interesting.

Maybe they were having an off day. The recipes seemed sound, just the cooking seemed .. rushed perhaps? We were there for lunch. Perhaps dinner will be better.

More to investigate.

Edited October 14, 2007 by lfabio2007 (log)

[percyn]

Was it busy when you went? I would also try their Sichuan Dumplings in Hot Oil, a spicy and sweet rendition of this classic.

Edited October 14, 2007 by percyn (log)

[lfabio2007]

I wouldn't say so, no, it was around 14,00 when we got there and, including us, there were perhaps 8-10 patrons in the room.

We'll try the dumplings next time!

[RonV]

Ahhhh, braised beef with szechuan style. It had been a while since I've had it, but thanks to you guys for putting STH back on my radar. It's got to be one of my favorite dishes in the city, possibly No. 1. The heat, the crisp celery, the tender beef. And I've found that the sesame bananas are the perfect way to cool down your mouth at the end of the meal.

The girlfriend allowed me to order for her (she swears she hates chinese food ... until it shows up) so I got her three pepper chicken, which was a hit. And since she barely ate half, I'm in for a nice lunch tomorrow.

[KatieLoeb]

This chilly rainy night had me craving something warm and spicy so I ordered some dinner from STH for delivery. Hot and Sour soup to start was delicious. While I'll stand by my assertion that Lee How Fook's is still the best in town, this was a pretty close second. Dumplings in Spicy Sauce followed and they were as good as I remember. Eggplant in Garlic Sauce was delicious and definitely something I'd order again. The eggplant was soft and garlicky and there was enough sauce to coat the steamed rice too. Last but not least I asked the woman on the phone for a recommendation of something with "a lot of vegetables and some sort of protein" in it. She suggested the Szerchuan Triple Delight of Chicken, Shrimp and Scallops in Szechun sauce and it didn't disappoint. Lots of carrots, snow peas, water chestnuts and straw mushrooms with abundant proteins. Very delicious. And I have enough leftovers for at least a couple of days. YAY!

Delivery was right on time with their estimate of 40 minutes, too. Now that I've had the sense to pin the menu on the fridge with a magnet, I'll be ordering from there more often, I suspect.

[Tim Dolan]

I just wanted to mention that the Braised Beef Filet with Szechuan Style has expanded my heat tolerance to the point that I'm now ordering it extra spicy. I think this is a breakthrough.

[Tim Dolan]

There must've been a crafty veteran in the kitchen at STH last night. The last few times I've ordered the braised beef filet from there, it was good but seemed to be a bit lacking. I've been ordering it extra spicy to make sure I get the fiery blast I'm looking for, but even still the sauce seemed a little thinned-out and not packing as much heat as normal.

Well last night I got the best batch I've had in months. It was so tasty and hot that my lips were actually numb. Even the spicy dumplings were larger than they normally are. Not that anything was bad that I've had before, but last night reminded me of why it's so worth driving into Chinatown for takeout. When you have a craving for blistering heat, there's nothing better.

edit:

Forgot to add that I saw two menus by the door on the way out so I grabbed one of each. When I got home, I realized that the neon green menu is completely in Chinese except for the numbers next to the dish. Of course I accidentally threw it out, but I noticed that the Chinese menu numbers ran up to 200 while the English menu stops at 116. Anyone here who can read Chinese and tell us about all those dishes we're missing out on?

Edited November 13, 2008 by Tim Dolan (log)