chinatown.

Hello. Playing catch up as always, but I thought you might like to know that in the past month or so, I've been venturing into the Chinatowns of the Los Angeles area. And yes, "Chinatowns" is plural.

I've heard so much about Yang Chow in downtown's Chinatown--star-studded, the best food, etc., so a friend and I went there on New Year's Day. There was a 40-minute wait, but we were both up for it.

Predictably, there are scads of reviews for this place on Yelp, and at least 2400 of them mention their most popular dish, "Slippery Shrimp."

Being the 21st Century gal that I am, I always check in on Facebook and Instagram when I go out. Within seconds of doing this, I had a few replies that said to some effect, "I love that place. You have to try the Slippery Shrimp."

So, my friend and I had some cold peanut noodles, dumplings, and of course, the You-Know-What. The noodles and the dumplings were lovely and wonderfully prepared, but something was...missing, which I'll get to in a minute.

So, they bring those slippery little buggers to our table. I couldn't have been more excited to pop a few in my mouth. My friend beat me to it, and exclaimed, "Oh my God. This is the best shrimp I've ever tasted."

I took my first bite, and you know what? I didn't care for it. I'm not trying to be contrary or all "the backlash starts here." It was impeccably prepared...almost too much so.

Yang Chow's famed Slippery Shrimp

Here's what I think the deal is. It's this place--Chung King, which is not in "Chinatown" Chinatown, but in the real Chinatown of the LA area--San Gabriel.

Am I making sense? To those of you who live in L.A. and are somewhat foodie-inclined, I'm making perfect sense. To the rest of you, maybe not.

This tiny little building on one of the most drab streets out in the middle of the Inland Empire offers up some of the most authentic Szechuan food not just in Los Angeles but in the country.
This is the case with many of the restaurants out here in Gold territory.

I came here with another friend over the holidays, and we've been back a couple more times, because we are ADDICTED, people. Specifically to the dish you see above, which is shrimp buried under a blizzard of chiles, scallions, garlic and something called Szechuan peppercorns--which they add to most every dish.

Again, if you Yelp this place, you'll find many reviews describing Szechuan peppercorns as having an effect on the mouth much like a mild form of novocaine. I found this to be accurate--and fascinating. They don't burn your mouth up like so many varieties of hot peppers (yes, you Mr. Habanero). Rather they provide a little zing before the entire lower half of your face goes pleasantly numb. Seriously, it's the damndest thing.

I think this is what made it difficult for me to enjoy the aforementioned Slippery Shrimp. They were just too bland, and basically a gourmet version of Sweet-n-Sour Shrimp--and I just can't stomach Sweet-n-Sour Anything.

A friend of mind described Yang Chow as the Cheesecake Factory of Chinese restaurants, and I found this observation to be dead on. The few times I've eaten there in the last 10 years, I've found myself saying, "God, what am I doing at this chain monstrosity when there are so many amazing places to eat?" Then I take a bite of the most perfectly deep-fried ball of marcaroni and cheese, and I'm like "Jesus, how can food be this good?"

I think Yang Chow is the Chinese version of this principle.

Chung King's Water Boiled Fish with Pepper

But anyway, back to Chung King. The photo above shows a dish called "Water Boiled Fish with Pepper," and yes, I know that sounds gnarly. The picture's not great either, and it's not because I'm a whiz with the Instagram. I am. This is just not picture-perfect food. It is, however, one of the three best dishes I think I have ever eaten in my life. The fish literally melts in your mouth, and the fiery sauce is dotted with those delightful little Szechuan peppercorns. And I'll take it over Slippery Shrimp or Deep-Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls every day of the week.