Szechuan's Dumpling, Arlington

I will preface any post about Chinese food with this: I don't know much about Chinese food, other than what my rather Americanized palate enjoys. I don't know how any particular restaurant compares to "the real stuff" (whatever that may be), but I know what's tasty to me. And I only add this preface because there are a lot of people out there who do know about this, and they often speak down (write down?) to those of us who don't know what the names of all the dishes mean. That being said...

Szechuan's Dumpling is a new-ish Chinese restaurant in Arlington Heights; they've been open since around February. I had read some good things about it online, but I didn't visit until my friend Dave arranged for a few of us to try it out a few months ago. I have visited about once a week since then, and there are at least 3 other Chinese take-out spots between my house and Arlington Heights, so that should give you an idea of how good this place is.

No order is complete without their Pork Mini Juicy Dumplings (aka soup dumplings) and their pan-fried Pork and Chive Dumplings (above). I especially love the crispy sear that the pan-fried dumplings get, and the juxtaposition with the chewy dough and salty meat.

My absolute favorite dish at Szechuan's Dumplings, though, is the Eggplant with Basil Leaves. I will eat eggplant (especially the long, thin ones) in just about any presentation, but this one is sweet and salty and just a little spicy and absurdly addictive. I often find myself picking off the last few pieces and then mixing some rice into whatever sauce is left on the plate because it's just too good to leave behind.

There are many other tasty items on the menu (the Crispy Chicken with Basil Leaves and the Salt and Pepper Shrimp jump out at me), but I am so enamored by the dumplings and the eggplant that I have a hard time ordering anything else. We try to sneak in a new dish every time we eat at the restaurant itself, but it's hard when I've already established favorites!

Cooking with Paul Turano

My parents have been doing some major shopping for new kitchen appliances. One great thing about shopping for appliances at a place nicer than Sears is that they know how to treat you well. Last night, my parents (and by extension, me) were invited to the Thermador showroom in Canton for a cooking demonstration. The guest chef for the night was Paul Turano, of Tryst in Arlington and Spitfire in Canton.

Paul was hilarious and spent the 2+ hours joking with the small audience. His approach to the cooking was very loose and had a lot of improv aspects to it, something he was trying to impress on the stuck-in-a-rut home cooks in attendance. As he said, "you can't be intimidated by [cooking]. If I can do it, anyone can do it."



The meal was simple but delicious, and proved that you can eat gourmet at home with not much effort. We started with asparagus soup with truffle whipped cream. I was too anxious to try it, so no picture. It was more a pea-asparagus soup, and the two veggies balanced each other out; it was not too woody from all asparagus.

The entree was roasted chicken with herbed spaetzel. Paul didn't focus on the chicken, but spent his time with the spaetzel. He claimed it only takes him 5 minutes to make, but he was talking so much that it took much longer. It was fun to watch him push the dough through a colander directly into the boiling water to form the pasta. I've never realized how easy this is to make, but I will definitely be giving it a try.



Dessert was a beautiful creme caramel, equally as easy and delicious as the other courses. Again, Paul got so into the conversation with the crowd that he burned his first batch of caramel. Now, I've made similar custards before, but I was much happier with the density of this creme caramel - it had substance and oomph to go along with incredible flavor.

I had a great time, and I appreciated the chance to hear a chef talk about his everyday experiences running his own restaurants. Hopefully, my parents will take a long time to make their decisions, and we'll get the chance to enjoy some more nights like this.