Cheng Du 23
Tea Smoked Duck
I have been traveling nonstop for the past three weeks and haven’t had any time to stop and post. Between Florence, Siena, New York and New Jersey, I have had some amazing meals that I hope to find time to blog about in detail. But let’s start with last night’s meal and work backwards. I’m visiting my in-laws in Northern New Jersey. They’re Chinese, and they sure know how to eat. Last night, we visited a nondescript little joint in a Wayne, NJ strip mall called Cheng Du 23. From the outside, it didn’t look promising, with a sign touting “Asian Cuisine.” It opened about a year ago, and Vic’s parents didn’t have high hopes, either, until they tried it and found some of the most delicious, authentic Sichuan food around. They’re regulars now. If your palate is adventurous and you like your Chinese food spicy, you will love Cheng Du 23.
Vic’s parents ordered a ridiculous amount of food — so much so that the owner, who was waiting on us, asked if we were expecting more people. I have no idea how Vic’s Mom stays so skinny. She must weigh less than 100 pounds, and she chose five entrees and two appetizers for the four of us.
Ox Tongue and Tripe
We started with a traditional Sichuan cold appetizer of ox tongue and tripe in a roasted chili peanut sauce. This was actually the spiciest dish we had all night so starting there made me a little nervous. But it was just this side of painful. The strips of tripe were long and thin like a flat pasta, with tiny chunks of tongue mixed throughout. For the uninitiated, tripe is made from the stomach of the ox. One of the things I appreciate about the Chinese is something they share with the Florentines in Italy: They make use of parts of the animal that many cultures waste.
Lamb with Special Pepper Sauce
My favorite dish, the lamb with special pepper sauce, doesn’t look that great in the photo (sorry, we only had the iPhone) but was really distinct and delicious. Strips of lamb were seasoned with hot red peppers and a cumin found only in the Himalayas near Tibet. This is not something you see on many menus in the U.S., and the flavor had a wonderful, smoky depth. If you have the chance to try this, please do. It’s worth a drive. Even smokier than the lamb was the tea smoked duck, another traditional Sichuan dish that was really done well here. All the flavors were strong, and the meat was moist.
Of course, most moist of all were the wonderful steamed juice buns (labeled “bum” on the menu). These dumplings were filled with soup and pork. We had to carefully pick up the delicate buns with a spoon, take a small bite and then sip out the soup before eating the rest of the dumpling. I had read about similar dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant in New York but had never actually tried them until, now. How fun!
Whole Fish in Chili Sauce
We also loved the whole fish in Chili Sauce, which was striped bass with minced pork and homemade Sichuan pickles on top. Fresh, hearty and fantastic. With all these strong flavors, the two least spicy dishes kind of got lost in the mix. The shrimp duet was a combination of stir fried shrimp with vegetables (mushrooms, carrots and baby corn) and jumbo shrimp with garlic sauce. We also had a chicken in garlic sauce, with the breast meat shaped like little flowers. Both were lovely, but the flavors paled next to the other dishes. If you don’t like much spice, these are the ones for you. Then again, I took a menu home and was shocked to read that the spiciest dish we ate (the tripe) only had one star next to it, denoting “medium spicy.” I can’t imagine how hot the two-star “extra hot and spicy” and four-star “very hot and spicy” dishes are. I think most mouths would be on fire. There’s also a handful of Americanized Chinese dishes, such as General Tso’s Chicken, listed as lunch specials. But skip those boring choices and go for something authentic and special. You won’t regret it. — Jenny
Cheng Du 23, 6 Willowbrook Blvd., Wayne, NJ, 973-812-2800
That’s funny that the owner thought more diners had to be coming, given the amount of food you guys ordered. Sounds like something my family would do. Once at an East Bay restaurant, my husband and my friend’s husband requested full orders of pasta for their appetizer. They followed it up with big burgers and hand-cut fries as their entrees. The owner was so amazed by their appetites that he personally delivered the pasta to our table, wanting to see for himself just who could be eating so much.
Ha! On our honeymoon in Florence, we ordered two Florentine steaks for two. The owner cut and delivered the second one himself, too. I think he was shocked.
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