This MIT favorite has been in Central Square for about 30 years. The signature dish is Suan La Chow Sho -- I've never seen this done so well anywhere else (and I've only seen it in all my travels at two other restaurants in SF). This hefty appetizer is not for the timid -- six fat Sichuan wontons, garlicky and tingling with Sichuan peppercorn, sit on top of a bed of always perfectly crispy and fresh bean sprouts, all doused in hot garlic/soy dipping sauce, and festooned with thin slices of scallion. When I moved away from Boston for 16 years I used to *dream* about this dish.\r
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If you're vegetarian, try the ""refreshing bean sprout,"" which is the same dish without wontons.\r
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The only dish I don't like here is their hot & sour soup.\r
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Special recommendations: Ma Po Tofu (did you know this means ""Pockmark Faced Grandmother's Tofu?). The tofu tastes so fresh and good -- any of their tofu dishes are worthwhile. If you're veggie ask, though, a lot of the sauces are based on meat broths and of course Ma Po Tofu has ground pork in a brown spicy sauce along with big cubes of silken tofu.\r
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Lots of really great lunch specials! My favorite in mid-winter is the pork and sichuan pickled vegetable noodle soup (Pork and Pickle Soup on the menu). Matchstick strips of pork and the spicy sichuan pickles (I believe they're from some cabbagy veggie like kohlrabi) in a rich but not at all greasy pork broth, all in a bowl full of thick wheat-flour noodles.\r
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The scallion pancakes are my son's favorite anywhere, and it's an appetizer he gets if it's on the menu of any Chinese restaurant. He also swears by their General Tso's Chicken.
Pros: affordable, wonderful food, seasonal specials
Cons: unimaginative decor
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