(no subject)

I was annoyed at forgetting my copy of McCawley yesterday evening, but between our collective knowledge and the power of multiple smartphones, we did very well in deciphering the menu. But being both a language geek and food asshole, I took the receipt home with me in order to research the dishes further.

• 成都凉麵 (Chengdu cold noodles)--If it's got "Chengdu" in the name, you know it involves chilis.
• 鍾水餃 (Chengdu dumplings)--Literally, "Zhong water dumplings" for their inventor, Zhong Shaobai. As we learned when we visited Chongqing, dumpling culture is a rather recent arrival to Sichuan, which makes it interesting that this and chāoshǒu ("folded hand" wontons) are so well known outside the province. I wonder if the evacuation of the Guomingdang to Sichuan might've been instrumental in their spread. After all, the chef who first introduced us to Sichuan-style wontons was Taiwanese. According to one website, Zhong's innovation (pure pork filling without vegetables) is less than a century old.
• 蒜苗炒臘肉 (Bacon with leeks)--Lit. "garlic sprout stir-fry preserved meat". We're still not sure what "garlic shoots" actually are, since all I saw in the dish were scallions and leeks. The meat was advertised as "half fat" and had been boiled before sautéeing to reduce the saltiness, but the fattiness and limpness was off-putting to monshu.
• 雲南鐵鍋雞 (Yunnan iron pot chicken)--We have lhn and prilicla to thank for the most theatrical of the dishes, which was served bubbling in an iron bowl above a can of sterno. It was like a saucier General Tso's.
• 孜然羊羔 (Cumin lamb)--An old fave and the one dish the Old Man insisted on ordering.
• 熊掌豆腐 (Bear paw tofu)--According to an article tyrannio found, so named because the appearance of the pan-fried tofu resembles the skin of a bear's paw (a claim none of us were in a position either to confirm or refute).
• 蒜炒空心菜 (Tong choy with garlic sauce)--No dish required more negotiation than this, so it was ironic that it ended up being the weakest of the lot due to overcooking. At least it wasn't drowned in hoisin, as it tends to be when you let a Cantonese chef at it.
• 腐乳 (Fermented tofu)--I've always wondered about this peculiar delicacy and I'm glad I don't have to any more. Unfortunately this particular variety was super salty, otherwise I think I might've enjoyed it.

monshu and I agreed that the standout dishes were the lamb and the tofu, though I particularly loved the bacon dish as well. The tofu also came with what I consider to be the best-cooked vegetables in the mix (a bed of flash-fried spinach).