Stumbling upon this gem of a restaurant was more than a happy coincidence. As a native resident of Dallas, moving to North Carolina left me feeling a little disoriented.  I traded skyscrapers for emerald pine trees that stretched for miles and it was decidedly more difficult to find a variety of cuisines.

 

While I did cast a wide net when searching for a Chinese restaurant, my eyes were piqued for Szechuan cuisine specifically.

 

During the summer of 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to China.  On our trip, my friends and I spent four days in the capital of the Szechuan province, Chengdu.  We traveled throughout the province during the day, but each evening, no matter how far we wandered down busy streets, looking for somewhere new to dine, we always found our way back to the one restaurant across the street from our hotel. 

 

The dishes were placed on the rotating glass table and I remember watching avidly as the deep red of the peppercorn sauce stained the cold noodles in the porcelain dish. 

​

- Maggie Stein