Szechuan in Houston

Chengdu Taste opened mid-May at 9896 Bellaire in Chinatown. The restaurant offers a selection of authentically executed Sichuan dishes that are not completely new to Houston diners. Plates like the deep-fried chicken with dried peppercorns, toothpick lamb with cumin and proteins prepared in boiled hot sauces are standouts. The BYOB policy allows guests to bring their own beverages and there is no corkage fee. Skip the diced rabbit and Chengdu-style fried rice. Reservations are not accepted and wait times can be 15 to 30 minutes long at the usual lunch and dinner times.

Touted as the beloved Cooking Girl’s sister restaurant, Pepper Twins opened in late September of 2016 with much anticipation. Owner Yunan Yang opened the Szechuan restaurant in the former NAM Noodles space at 1915 West Gray, Suite A, with very little fanfare and lots of neighborhood love. The menu at Pepper Twins is described as country-style, organic Chinese and the space is minimally decorated. Traditional spicy Szechuan dishes, like the boiled beef, are executed very well, while other, more basic dishes, like the fried rice and dry fried green beans, just doesn’t quite make the grade. It’s BYOB and the corkage fee is only $5. The staff is friendly, taking a cue from the owners, but with the restaurant being so busy, the front-of-house team still has some minor issues of communication and process to fine-tune.