Ambiance: Nice spacious restaurant decorated with a mix of old-world and asian influences. It was good sign all the servers spoke mandarin and 80% of the customers were asians. The place was half-full when we came and it wasn't too noisy. Staff was slightly on the slower side but not egregiously so, just some 3-5 minute waits to order, water refills, check, etc but consistently so.
Food: We got the beef in spicy sauce in sichuan style and kung-pao chicken and both were quite delicious. The meat in both dishes was tender, well-sauced, and the vegetables were cooked to that perfect balance between softened and still slightly-crunchy. The dishes were savory and not too salty but I found the heat a little lacking. The dishes looked intimidating consider the volume of chinese (tsin tsin) red peppers they use but they are actually fairly mild. Along with the sichuan peppercorns, the dishes tend to have a more numbing tongue-buzzing effect than really imparting any true heat (think mild-moderate jalapeno in terms of heat).
Overall, Sichuan Gourmet is the real deal. They've dialed down their heat for the american audience but their flavors are otherwise quite authentic. The entrees are on the expensive side ($13-15) but they're served family style and 2 dishes is enough to feed 3 people. I'd definitely give this place a shot.