Spicy & Tasty   

As half the name might imply, the majority of Spicy & Tasty's menu is Szechuan-style, although the formality of the gold, thickly carpeted interior might come as a surprise. Nothing, though, could be more shocking than the first time you bite into a Szechuan peppercorn, which is like a mouthful of Mount St. Helens. An hour later, your lips and tongue will still be tingling. Luckily, Szechuan chili oil is doused all over the dishes here, like beef tripe and tendon that jumble in a pool of neon-orange chili oil. But don't get complacent: the heavier sauces on lamb, pork and fish dishes tend to be even hotter. The menu section called "Szechuan delicacies" arouses suspicion in American palates with hot and sour cold jelly and duck blood and intestine in sour cabbage. But the section redeems itself with dan-dan noodles with minced pork, all kinds of shredded meats in fresh hot pepper, sweet items like sesame bean paste, and "peanut butter sweet sticky rice ball" that makes you feel like your sneaking in some dessert during dinner.