Chengdu Taste

We’re fortunate enough these days to have dozens of different interpretations of Sichuan cuisine, but it’s still hard to beat Chengdu Taste, the trailblazing Alhambra restaurant that first put mala (“numbing and spicy”) on the culinary map for most Angelenos. Fiery Sichuan dishes fill tables with intoxicating smells and an overarching red hue that often indicates an intimidating level of spice. Along with featuring a lighter, yet still spicy style of Chengdu cooking, one of its signature dishes is the hearty diced rabbit with "younger sister’s secret recipe." Other must-tries are the Sichuan-style mung bean jelly noodles with chili sauce; the always comforting mapo tofu; and, my personal favorite, toothpick lamb with cumin. They’ve also got a second location in Rowland Heights, so those further east can get their spice fix, too.