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LSC is now open in the old Marigold space (Marigold moving to Clark St. in Andersonville), 4832 N. Broadway (no phone listed yet as far as I can see). The space is a little more modern, upscale than most of Tony Hu's restaurants, seemingly a holdover from the the Marigold days. I dined there tonight and while I can say that service was as chaotic as you'd expect from just about any restaurant's first Friday night of service, the food was very good and what you'd hope for.

The gratis cabbage might have lacked a bit of the punch I'm used to, but it was still solid and generally on par with what you've come to expect from LSC. We had to ask for it, but that might just be an opening weekend service issue.

Everything we ordered was served hot and spice was not toned down at all. Boiled pork in spicy Szechuan sauce was probably my favorite item, with nice, fatty slices of pork and a spicy and flavorful sauce. Lamb Chengdu hotpot was very flavorful, but I was expecting a hot pot and they prepare it in the kitchen and serve it in large bowl. It was still delicious, but not what I was expecting (not sure if this is how it will be offered). Eggplant in garlic sauce was as delicious as I'm used to from the Chinatown location.

If you go now, know that they just opened, they're crowded and they have lots of service issues to iron out, so be patient early on. Tony Hu was in the house, apologetic for small service gaffes, but the staff was very friendly and accommodating. While my attitude towards the Lao swarm that seems to have taken over Chinatown can be best described as concerned and perhaps less than enthused, I'll admit to being excited to have Lao Sze Chuan well north in the city, for those nights when I want real Szechuan food, but can't (or don't want to) make it to Chinatown.

4832 N Broadway Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 293-4653

very excited for this - anyone know if they're delivering?

We were there last night around 7:00 or so. The space was not crowded and there were no negative issues with service that we experienced. Service was polite, prompt and pleasant.

We had four dishes. For appetizers we had the Hot and Sour Squid and Green Beans with Black Bean Sauce.

The Green Beans with Black Bean Sauce were long beans chopped into very small pieces with black beans and very small chopped pieces of dung gu (sp? dried Chinese mushroom). Given the amount or prep chopping that went into this dish it was a very labor intensive dish. Although it was a black bean dish, it contained none of the gloppy black sauce one often finds in black bean sauce dishes. The sauce was a bit salty but refined and we very much enjoyed this appetizer. The serving was generous. (Leftovers in scrambled eggs this morning.) There was a healthy heat to this dish, but not overpowering.

The hot and sour squid was very tender and done very well. I can't say that I have had a cold squid dish before and we enjoyed this as well. The sourness seemed to be imparted by lemon or some other type of citrus.

For the main course we ordered the Empress Fresh Chili Crab and the Pork in Garlic Sauce. The crab was cooked perfectly and came in an abundance of red peppers and Sze Chuan peppercorns. The dish was notated with two hot peppers on the menu menu and was not overpowering. The heat and the taste of the Sze Chuan peppercorns built in a pleasant sensation as we ate. The legs and the claws of the crab were presented uncracked, which did present a bit of a challenge to eat with chopsticks. We were not to be deterred and basically went primal on it. Hopefully nobody was watching. The crab was very sweet and was balanced by the heat of the hot peppers and the spice of the peppercorns in a very pleasant way. We really enjoyed this dish.

The Pork in Garlic Sauce had a sour note to it which I didn't anticipate but enjoyed. This was very good, but was the least remarkable of the dishes we had to our taste.

I ordered the Jasmine Ice Tea which arrived in a can and was sweetened. That was the only negative and I won't order that again.

The meal was excellent and we will be back to try more from the very large menu.

There was a rather odd mixture of background music including some country music and some techno and jazz. For us, it neither added nor detracted from the meal, and was notable only because it was an unusual mix.

We are very happy to have a place of this caliber closer to our house.

very excited for this - anyone know if they're delivering?


I don't think the deliver. I don't think delivery would do it justice, really. There is a level of care in the preparation that merits attention to the meal fresh from the kitchen as it was intended.

Aside from the gratis cabbage tasting more Seoul than Szechuan Uptown LSC echoed Chinatown. Fish in chili broth, Tony's three chili chicken, MaPo Tofu with $2 pork, Beef and Maw Szechuan style and Salt and Pepper squid hit high notes, with Tony's three chili chicken being crisper, spicier skewing less sweet than recent Chinatown visits, in other words more to my taste.

Physical space is comfortable, nicely decorated, service friendly, efficient, professional. Hard to believe the Uptown LSC has been open only a week. Thanks Steve Z for setting up an LTH lunch at LSC Uptown

Lao Szechuan Uptown, count me a fan!

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

They don't deliver yet, but they are planning to do so once things are up to speed.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

A few quick notes from someone who's been to the Chinatown location a few dozen times:

I have taken out twice from the new location so far--opening night and tonight.

Update on the delivery situation: I spoke to (who I presume to be) the manager tonight--they are starting delivery tomorrow 9/24! I did not ask if they are using a service or their own people.

Both times got my relatively standard order of 3 chili, dry chili, ma po (with $2 ground pork tonight...they didn't have the option last time), don don noodles, and hot and sour soup (chef's special tonight...which wasn't available opening night). I went a little wild tonight and got some szechuan string beans, too.

Opening night 3 chili chicken was drenched in the sauce (which you might think could be a good thing), but ended up super, super sweet. Still crack, but way over the top sweet. Tonight, it was right on the money sauce-wise.

The dry chili chicken is, for my taste, substantially better at the new location. 2 times out of 2. Maybe they'll prove me wrong in the future. Chicken is moister, and the garlic flavor was more even across the dish.

They are using *substantially* more sichuan pepper in the ma po and don don noodles. These are not the super-spicy peppers--they are the ones that numb and change your tastebuds a bit. They use very little in the chinatown location in either of these dishes, but a nice level in the ma po both times we've been to Uptown...and some in the don don "sauce" this time as well. Gives both dishes an extra dimension. I definitely prefer the ma po that way--not sure on the don don.

Very excited to be able to order delivery from here soon. I hope they can continue the progress they've made already while dealing with the extra order volume.

I live only 150 feet north of lsc-n...


But 5.5 miles due west:( so no delivery for me. Im going thru severe withdrawal right now, bot sure how long I can go without another fix.

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I used to think the brain was the most important part of the body. Then I realized who was telling me that.

Did they say what their range was? I'm thinking Rogers Park is probably too far north for them, but hoping otherwise...

Has anyone tried Tony's Three Chili Fish? It was delicious, and I couldn't figure out what ingredient added the sweetness. It seemed too sweet to be plain old granulated sugar. If anyone has any ideas, I'd like to try to recreate the spice blend at home (minus several chili peppers!) Everything else we tried was super spicy, and I really didn't enjoy any of it. With my lips coated in chili oil, it was a less than stellar experience overall. Service was pretty terrible, and we didn't get the cabbage everyone always raves about until I asked for it. Then halfway through the meal, our amuse showed up, a tiny plate for five people. Come on, Tony, you can afford more than that. There were several other inconveniences that we experienced throughout the meal that won't be bringing me back here any time soon.

whoa, maybe it was the time we went (9:30pm last night (Sunday) when LSC closes at 10pm) but three chili chicken and lamb w/cumin were SERIOUS misses, not even recognizable compared to the stellar renditions enjoyed 3 weeks ago for lunch. Far too much oil, pieces were saturated and not in a good way.

the highlight was drinking a few doors down at the Green Mill while watching the Joel Patterson Trio (w/Chris Foreman on keyboards), well worth the $4 cover!!

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I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

Geez, I leave Chicago and Tony opens Lao Sze Chuan (sp?) north blocks from where we lived. Again, LTH forum is killing me.

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trpt2345

A few friends and I stopped by here last Friday night and it was everything I hoped it to be and more. The dishes are just as good, if not better (in the case of the don don noodles) as I remember at the chinatown location. Szechuan cuisine is definitely in my top 3 Chinese cuisines, if not my overall favorite, so I am a bit biased, but I think this is the new best Northside Chinese restaurant (regrets to Sun Wah). All our dishes were great, our service was attentive and prompt (a Chinese restaurant miracle), and after stuffing ourselves and having some drinks, it was still only 20$ a person with tax and tip included. If I ever meet Tony in person, I am going to hug him.

How busy have they been? Any waits to be seated on weekdays? What about on weekends?

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

My inaugural visit to Lao Sze Chuan in Uptown was last weekend, Sunday night. We arrived early because we were headed out to Evanston afterwards to a movie (Looper -- totally great) and so we got there around 5:30. We were immediately sat and our first dish arrived pretty soon thereafter. Maybe 10 minutes after we arrived, folks started pouring in and it was hopping by the time we left a mere hour later. We had pork with garlic sauce which was delightful and the sesame chicken because that's my SO's favorite dish to try in Chinese restaurants. We also had potstickers, which made me deleriously happy.

I've been pretty much a Silver Seafood proponent, but having Lao up in my hood, a mere 15 minute walk from my home -- fills me with happiness.

Although -- they don't do the mayonnaise shrimp. And that's a bit of a disappointment.

It's a gorgeous restaurant and very comfortable -- much more comfortable chairs than those icky things down in Chinatown. Best thing that's happened to this hood in a long time. Maybe someone will finally figure out how to save the Uptown Theatre next.

Cheers!

S

Actually, unless it's been very recently removed from the menu, they do offer it.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Maybe it was, Steve. When I went on Sunday -- i couldn't find it in the menu listings, so I asked and was told that it wasn't offered.

Broke my heart, just a little. Then I gobbled up my potstickers and my garlic pork and let it go.

Election night is now improved 100 fold with the catering by Lao Szechuan delivery to my abode.

Greatest. Thing. Ever.

They changed the name. It's now "Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce". I'd asked about it on my first visit to LSC-n & was told that (I'm paraphrasing) 'having mayo in the name of a shrimp dish was off-putting to people'. Same dish you love. New name. I'm so excited to have LSC-n as an option for delivery; or a short trek north. Mapo tofu w/$2 pork has become a weekly habit, which is what I always wished the Chinatown one could be but never was due to lack of delivery to Lakeview.

A few things I've noticed:
- if you call for delivery, the minimum is $20. Unsure on fee.
- if you use grubhub, the minimum is $25, with a $4 fee.
- the lunch specials that they serve are indeed valid for delivery, even though they're on neither the printed menu, or the grubhub menu. You just need to call and ask. Almost makes me wish I worked with other people so that I could hit the minimum without blinking, instead of it becoming an expensive lunch.

Interesting: the delivery fee for the Chinatown location is $10 as opposed to the Uptown's $25. I'm slightly curious to spot-check the two menus & see if there are price differences. Mainly out of curiosity. It's not going to change my addiction.

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:dupreeblue:
:twitter:

My love/hate relationship continues. Was there a wk ago and sat in the dark as the lights weren't on and the waitstaff/management, not there (although open). They strolled in mid meal, turning on the lights and music. A busser and the chef was it until that point. After about 10 mins we were given a menu w/a pen and told us to mark off what we wanted and she'd bring it to the chef. The glasses smelled of soap (need to check that rinse cycle) but the food was on the money and delicious. A friend of mine owns the bookstore next door and has pretty much given up on it for similar service related reasons. Doesn't matter how good your food is if people are pissed off when they get it. I'm part masochist though and am in it for the food, so will endure.

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"In pursuit of joys untasted"
from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata

This may be one of those very rare places that is actually better delivered than in the restaurant. Most recent order 2 weeks ago was absolutely delicious--Dan Dan Noodles, Beef Maw, Pork with pickles, pea pod leaves with garlic and Garlic Eggplant were all huge portions, perfectly spiced and fresh as could be. All from the comfort of home!!

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” Elizabeth Taylor

Anyone know what the delivery range is? I'm down in East Lakeview and would love to get regular delivery from LSC.

It's probably easiest and most accurate to just go to Grubhub.com and put in your address.

Good call. Doesn't appear that they do, but I'll try to call and report back at some point soon.

What an amazing- "two-fer".

While waiting for Chicago's-Very-Own- The GRAMMY AWARD WINNING Male Jazz Vocalist-
KURT ELLING playing this past weekend at The Green Mill- about 7 storefronts apart-
from Lao Sze Chuan >Uptown-we were needing to occupy our time in our "staked-out" booth
seating (when someone as popular as Kurt comes back to town to preform-
DieHARD fans will arrive as early as NOON to get a "spot"-
and drink,eat,read - whatever until the 8pm show begins-
and the joint becomes Wall-To-Wall-Bodies-jammed in like sliding-plastic-letter-tiles-in-a-word-puzzle-game!)

Being able to enjoy Tony's great cuisine - inside the venerable confines of this Art Deco gem- made the wait all
the less painful. Interesting to see that we weren't the only folks with that idea in mind-
as many, a plastic shopping bag FULL of LSC's Uptown location came onto the tables @ The Green Mill Lounge.
In fact-the cocktail waitress there offered that she too is a LSC fan- now happy she doesn't need to
drive to Chinatown to get her fill of Tony's goodness-with it being so close to her in Uptown now!

Lao Sze Chuan>Uptown + The Green Mill= a great marriage of two of my favorite things.....great Ethnic Food and World Class LIVE Jazz Music!

Xmas eve, at 6pm, the place was pretty quiet. At 7:30 they we going, but we walked in without a reservation, which would have been an hour wait, then served cheek by jowl in a very crowded dining room, but instead was a quick and well serviced meal. Some dishes were a little different - the tofu and fish special was spicier with large cubes of tofu and fish that was not breaded - others were just as we expected. Great time, no problems parking,We were in and out almost too quickly.



Note: the mayo shrimp is called shrimp in lemon sauce.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Feeling the early stages of a cold coming on and looking forward to a lazy weekend on the couch I just ordered a slightly embarrassing amount of LSC greatest hits. Lamb w/cumin, mapa tofu, boil beef, etc...delivery was quick, and food is top notch and spicy as requested.

Just got back from a mid-afternoon meal at LSC-Uptown with the GF, and the food was excellent as usual. Got the usual three chili chicken, shrimp mayonnaise, along with cold sesame noodles and mixed vegetable noodle soup (GF is a pescetarian). The last item was a first time order, as it was new to their menu. Their new menu (still in takeout form) now lists dishes that are vegetarian via a green four-leaf clover.

The soup came first and we both remarked how good the broth tasted. After a few more sips, we both had an inkling that the broth was a chicken broth. The more we tasted, the more it seemed like chicken broth. Since the dish was new to a menu that was clearly addressing vegetarian diners, we theorized that perhaps there was a misunderstanding in what LSC thinks vegetarian means: if there are no chunks of meat in the dish, then it is vegetarian.

We did note to the waiter that the soup was very good and inquired what type of broth was used. He seemed confused, so we clarified that it was a vegetarian dish, yet the broth tasted very similar to chicken. He then stated he wasn't sure what was in the broth but he would check with the chef. A few minutes later he returned (with our leftovers) and said the chef confirmed that the broth was made with only water, vegetables, and other spices, and that no chicken was used.

Has anyone else tried any "vegetarian" soups at LSC-Uptown? My GF is not a strict vegetarian and still kept eating the soup after we suspected that it might be chicken broth. However, I could see some fireworks if there ends up being some type of chicken product in the broth and a strict vegetarian eats it. I just put the leftover soup in the fridge. It will be interesting to see if it gels up like a typical bone-based broth.

Note:

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

I still call the department store at State/Randolph Marshall Fields.

Maybe "Crispy Shrimp with Lemon Sauce" might catch on with me in ten years.