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| - It's funny that the 'Americanized' dishes, like General Tso, are buried in the menu on a page toward the back. Ichiban is 5* for me because it is so rare to find such vivid, diverse, exciting food, exactingly prepared (and the extensive lunch menu is a great price).
Today the hot and sour soup was far more hot than sour - - very spicy; and loaded with chunky goodness. It was an extra $1.75 in addition to the $7.50 lunch special ma po tofu, but this is way above average fare, so it is fitting that the lunch special isn't the standard 'Americanized' eggroll/eggdrop/entree ritual. It wasn't the top ma po tofu I've had, but a solid second.
This follows on a dinner a couple months back, with 7 of us sharing some of the more interesting dishes on the menu, and they were MOST interesting. Virtually nobody liked the beef tendon with chili sauce appetizer, but I thought it was one of the most fascinating and extreme things i've ever had - - the thin slices of tendon were like pappardelle noodles, but the concoction was stunning sensually - - it effectively numbed the mouth - - textures like nothing else - - it was like opium for the palate. Only a couple people enjoyed the fish soup dish, but I thought it was knockout, and so pleased that I could take the vast amount that was left untouched home. And the dry braised mixed mushroom in spicy hot pot - - intoxicating. The more standard dishes we shared were, well, more standard.
Ichiban offers fascinating, exciting dishes, prepared with great care and precision, covering a flavor palate that most of us never encounter. (And since it is Sichuan-centered, the dishes can have some serious heat, but also a mellow numbing character). This will put off some people, but it should intrigue others a whole lot. Really worthwhile.
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