Go Authentic at Emei

Brian Freedman tries out Emei in Chinatown and finds that it works best when you stick with most authentic dishes.

Emei, as expected, is at its best when it lets its Szechuan flag fly and doesn’t hold back on the fireworks that make this kind of food so special. Boiled dumplings with hot oil arrived looking every bit as fierce and fiery as they turned out to be. But more than the gossamer dumpling skin or the slightly underseasoned filling was the real highlight of the dish: The oil itself, piled high with chili flakes and unexpectedly lined with a sense of sweetness, which made its tongue-searing heat not just bearable but pleasant.

Stick to Classics at Chinatown’s Emei [Philadelphia Weekly]