But in a good way. 
We should see if we can round up a group for a HOdown. I missed the last one there. I think it was a while back and I never made it. I recall reading some great things.
@CurlzNJ I think you need to do your magic 
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Did Justin survive the pepper chicken without any issues? Lol
Yes, he did. He just had to eat it slowly. LOL
I like it, Mr Bean doesn’t. Now that The Sprout is back at college, it makes it harder to order when its just the 2 of us. Which means…
Another HO down sounds like a great idea!!!
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Just so we can cross-reference, the post from @shayna about the authentic dishes she orders at Sichuan Cottage is in this thread:
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Well after reading such rave reviews of this place for so many years I decided to give them a try. Tried to order some of the favorites so we started with the West Lake Beef Chowder, this was interesting and we established my wife is part of the 10% who cilantro tastes like soap! I found the soup to be good but I added copious amounts of hot mustard to give it some more zing. Kudos on the hot mustard, not that thick pasty mustards some places serve.
Entrees: 3 pepper chicken - salt and pepper shrimp - chicken and broccoli (my daughter’s request)
I’m assuming the 3rd pepper in the 3 pepper chicken is white pepper in the batter, am I right? Lol I liked the dish just fine, started getting the tingle tongue as @joonjoon so accurately described, but I wish the chicken pieces were larger. Having such tiny pieces fried like that drys the chicken out too much. I just think slightly larger cubes would do the chicken a bit of a favor.
Some communication error got us our salt and pepper shrimp without shells. Fine with me but I did find them rather salty (no duh I know) but I’m not a huge salt guy, so they were good just left me a bit puckered.
The chicken and broccoli was great.
Kudos for offering brown rice as an option.
Few observations out of the 6 tables seated while we were there only one other was not Asians. (Oh speaking of which anyone know how to say: “the fat guy in the suit at the next table” in Chinese?? Im pretty sure they were talking about me 
)
All that with plenty to bring home $53 without tip, so there’s good value there. I would gladly go back to try some more dishes, nicer than your average dine in Chinese restaurant, service was fine as well.
(No soup pics)
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Bob if you get back, try the pickled vegetables. They serve them to the Asian customers instead of the noodles and duck sauce. You just have to ask for them. I like them and they are free just like the noodles.
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Glad you got to try the place out, IMO the 3 pepper chicken isn’t the greatest dish there but I know some peeps love it. I think it’s kind of boring compared to most of their other dishes.
Oh and for all the non Chinese folks visiting… as CJ mentioned, always ask for the pickles!
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To me, 3 pepper chicken is a good sharing dish. There is no sauce that can drip and you don’t even have to add it to your plate. It can be enjoyed communally without really spreading many germs.
Pretty sure it’s hot green peppers, hot dried red peppers, and Sichuan brown pepper.
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I agree it’s a good sharing dish in that they are tasty little morsels of chicken, but I don’t think I’d ever want a meal of 3 pepper chicken. And I personally don’t think the version at Sichuan Cottage is particularly good. I mean it’s not bad, but there are so many glorious options.
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“Tasty little morsels” is a perfect definition for the dish. My biggest problem is the tiny little morsels way over cook making many pieces dried out and tough or chewy.
Sichuan Cottage is now closed on Tuesdays. Given that Shanghai Bun is also closed on Tuesdays, it’s a good thing that Jinli is open seven days a week.
Had another excellent meal at Sichuan Cottage. It was about time we introduced my mom to this glory and she enjoyed what she had. 1) The wontons in hot oil. An absolute winner. I like that they really aren’t that spicy. Just a nice, mouth-warming to break you in for what is to come. 2) Wonton-Egg Drop soup. Pretty average. Probably wouldn’t order again. Only two wontons. 3) Its hard to order anything but the beef in hot oil for me. The spice, the quantity of beef, the minced garlic in the middle. I know, I’m preaching to the choir. 4) Justin’s three pepper chicken. It took a while, but that mouth-numbing, tingling sensation finally hit. 5) My mom’s clams in black bean sauce. Really delicious. Not too salty and interesting use of onions. Never was a fan of this dish until now.
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@gcaggiano unless you dislike cilantro, the next time you go, you MUST try the West Lake Beef Chowder (not a chowder as we think of it)! It looks like nothing but OMG, the flavor is fantastic. HT to @eleeper for the intro to that one…
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Looking good! Have you guys tried the soup dumplings yet?
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@corvette_johnny and @CurlzNJ, looks like West Lake Beef Chowder and soup dumplings will be on our next visit.
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@seal and @eleeper As I recall, I wasn’t ecstatic about the soup dumplings there… Have either of you had them?
The soup dumplings are much better at Shanghai Bun, but I usually get the beef chowder.
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