I’ve been enjoying #S28 on their carryout menu: Fish Fillet and Bean Curd in Hot and Red Bean Sauce ($13.45). While this might sound odd, it has the flavors (sans pork) of a very mild Ma Po Tofu – a lot of Ma Po Tofus are just too numbing for me, and while this has some of that, it’s just a hint, not a dominant feature. There is a *lot* of fish in this dish, and it’s an excellent value for the money – I’ve ordered it twice in a row.
If you like dried-fried beef, sometimes knows as Szechuan Beef Proper, get #F20: Crispy Shredded Beef ($13.95). It’s a massive amount of battered, fried, bite-sized strips of steak, and if you know this dish, it’s a very good rendition, with a few thinly shredded carrots thrown in so you can lie to yourself and think it’s healthy. Highly recommended.
Actually, I recommend both of these dishes in tandem – since they’re so utterly different, they play off one other well. You’ll need a green if you get these in order to balance your meal, so order something steamed from the “Healthy Choice†section, or one of the sautéed beans, snow peas, or spinach entrees – you’ll have yourself a really nice carryout meal for two, with leftovers for lunch the next day. Yes, the beef reheats pretty well in a microwave – and although you already know this, I want to end in a rhyming couplet since I’m reading Shakespeare:
leave the steamed rice unopened, sealed tight,
and outside of the icebox overnight.