Lao Sze Chuan

01/27/09

STAY AWAY

by josephbbl at Citysearch

Last night we went to Lao Tze Chuan restaurant. We learned they had changed ownership, and wondered what the new management would be like.

We arrived around 6:15, placed our order around 6:25. The food didn't come until 7:00 p.m. When the meal came, a big party (around 16 people) stood waiting for the round table next to us. Obviously, it wasn't big enough, so the management "borrowed" the table next to ours, and put it next to the round one. The took all the chairs except for the two we were using. It was still not enough for the big pary. Next thing you know, the manager said they were moving us.

I had chopsticks in my hands while sitting in my chair when our table

suddenly was removed from underneath us. I was shocked, and the rest of the patrons grew silent and stared at me, expecting something to happen. I continued to eat the food still in my chopsticks as I sat alone in the middle of the open space. I finally got up and walked to our new table location, hearing "Sorry" and "Bu Hao Yisi."

Then, our final dish came--sweet and sour pork. I was basically a breaded, fried pork chop with bones. My guest took one bite and coughed it out. The meat was spoiled. They offered to re-cook the dish. It was 7:15, and we about had enough. They took the dish back, and refused to take the order off the bill.

• Pros: It used to be a good restaurant, I suppose
• Cons: It changed ownership, and offers a negative dining experience

11/02/08

One Very Disappointing Overpriced Meal

by aaperez85 at Citysearch

"Now let me establish that I love my hotpot!

I studied abroad in Beijing for over a year and tried multiple hotpot establishments and loved every single location that I had ever been to.

When I showed up to Lao Sze Chuan the waitress was quite unfriendly (which I was accustomed to in Beijing but not USA) and she Immediately took note that I was not Chinese so when I said I wanted hotpot she said OK you want buffet and just walked away. I had to go get her and tell her I wanted to pick the items myself.

Once the hotpot arrived i was thoroughly excited but the hotpot which I asked to be spicy was not even near spicy....It also lacked the tongue numbing flower pepper that every hotpot place I had ever been to had in the broth. The pig stomach and intestine were not the Chinese style I was accustomed to and tasted like a local packaged variety...the fishballs and shrimpballs were mediocre at best and the meats were not that great...This restaurant was the biggest letdown of my life and for me that does not happen often. The $50 bill on top of my disappointing meal was also....great.

Not recommended...I will continue my search for great hotpot in the US."

• Pros: Very Friendly Host
• Cons: Disappointing Food and wait staff

07/07/08

Disappointing meal

by missmimimao at Citysearch

I was so very hopeful when I walked into Lao Sze Chuan. My mother is from Sze Chuan, and though she grew up all over Asia and cooks more southeast Asian food, a few key szechuanese dishes inevitably make their way onto our dinner table. It's not that I wanted instant Mama's food, but I was hoping for the same earthy, spicy, flavor-busting experience that describes szechuanese food. We had garlic stir-fried greens, MaPo tofu, and chili beef stew. The stew was mediocre, the beef cut into thick pieces that made it difficult to handle in one or two bites, and it tasted a bit crude. The MaPo tofu had a flat taste to it and the greens were limp, oily, and salty. Perhaps we ordered the wrong dishes?

• Pros: Easy location, fairly quick getting food to table
• Cons: Food below avg, service mediocre

01/11/08

unbelievablely poor service

by yinjin at Citysearch

The food is OK, but the service is unbelievably poor. They will repeately ask you whether you have finished your food as soon as you finish one half of your food. I feel extremely bad every time after I eat there.

12/02/07

oooooo

by maporestaurant at Citysearch

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• Pros: 
• Cons: