The answer to this puzzler is simple: there is no such thing as an authentic Sichuan restaurant outside of the Province. Just as there is probably no authentic French restaurant in the US. And do not go looking for great BBQ in Paris, even though there are places that offer it.
What you can hope for, though, is to get a recommendation for specific items in which the flavor is spot on.
I have long said there is something called Pride of Place. Ultimately, you really have to go there. That is why people travel to Italy, Spain, and all those other places for food. It can’t exactly be replicated elsewhere; you mostly don’t have the clientele to support such an endeavor.
So you will not find a whole carp in your shwei ju yu! However, the flavor can be almost exactly the same as to be authentic.
And there is the universal trueism that the more familiar you are with a subject, the less likely you will be satisfied with weak iterations.
It’s not just food: You favorite war movie ever that made you applaud wildly and cry might get guffaws from a veteran.
As it should be.
