Chengdu Gourmet's Sichuan menu stands out; Americanized dishes excite, too

Few things are more daunting than a menu from a Chinese restaurant. The options are seemingly endless for pork, poultry, seafood, beef and veggies. The menu at Squirrel Hill's Chengdu Gourmet is no exception. In fact, there are two full menus to peruse as you sit nestled in the vinyl booths.

One features well-loved Americanized dishes such as pad thai, General Tso's and hunan pork. On that menu, you'll find eggrolls, rangoons and all things sweet and sour. There's no doubt you could find something to satisfy your Chinese food craving, though you wouldn't walk away nearly as satiated as you would if you order off of the secondary, traditional Sichuan menu.

The colors, textures, spices and aromas associated with the traditional Sichuan-style of cuisine excite all the senses. Generous pieces of shiny, maroon chile pepper make an appearance in many dishes, as do the tiny, mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns.

The bulk of the appetizers on the menu are veggie friendly, some veggie heavy. Must-haves include the Chinese broccoli, which is quick-fried in black pepper and served with a slight charred flavor alongside a bed of chopped chile peppers. The rabe, blistered and bright green, looks festive when paired with the red peppers and is a treat for the tongue and nose.

The hand cabbage is slightly less wondrous in color, though no less fantastic in flavor. Course pieces of white, pale yellow and light-green cabbage dance with large slices of garlic and small (thankfully!) rounds of red and green hot peppers. Dressed with a spicy brown broth, the cabbage was one of my favorite dishes of the night, though its heat did require the downing of several glasses of water. Pickled vegetables in bright orange-red oil was a close runner-up in the favorites category. Bite-size pieces of carrots, celery and cabbage were generously coated, and there was enough leftover oil to drench our white rice. Believe me, you won't want to let a drop of that go to waste.

No visit to a Chinese restaurant would be complete without an order of dumplings. The six perfect pouches came stuffed with pork and swimming in that same delicious red chile oil. While the Sichuan-style dumplings weren't stuffed to the gills, the dough was soft and warm and absorbed the flavors of the oil and the pork filling.

Another one of my favorite dishes of the night was Chengdu spicy cold noodle. The cold rice noodles with a sweet brown sauce and crisp green onions really hit the spot on a hot summer night. Pair the inexpensive side dish with any of Chengdu Gourmet's veggies and, bam, you have a meal — maybe two.

Meat lovers will find something here as well; there is no shortage of traditionally prepared duck, lamb, chicken, beef or fish. All are lovingly prepared and served in various ways: dry sauteed, double cooked and braised by way of soups, flaming pans and casseroles. A can't-miss is the beef in hot spicy broth Chongqing-style. Although one of the higher-priced items on the menu, it's sure to serve several people. This time, the oily broth has enough heat to set your mouth on fire. You can still drench your rice in this, but have water on hand.

Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce helped temper the hotness we were feeling. Still with a heat of its own, the eggplant provided a nice balance of sweetness.

Chinese food travels well, so we took several of our entrees to go and, later that evening, enjoyed them anew. One of the dishes that made it home was the Kung Pao chicken Chengdu-style. Complete with golden-brown, lightly breaded and fried chicken, chile peppers and peanuts, the Kung Pao was a nice reminder of our Americanized options. It's a great crossover dish.

Gather up friends and family — Chengdu is great for groups — take a couple bottles of wine and settle in for a night of interesting, authentic food, thanks to chef and owner Wei Zhu, who prepares these delicacies for us Pittsburghers who aren't used to the real deal. One taste, and you'll never do sweet and sour again.

Amanda McFadden is one of the food-savvy ladies of eatPGH.com, who contribute a weekly Dining Out column to the Tribune-Review.