Szechuan in Miami

When searching for a traditional Chinese restaurant, Western diners often take the presence of Chinese customers as a good sign. West Miami-Dade's Chinese Guy is beloved by the countless Chinese students who attend the University of Miami and Florida International University. The eatery's owners are Tianjin natives Kun Bao and Yanan Cai. When Bao arrived in Miami in 2010, he and his Chinese classmates quickly noticed no place served the food they grew up on. A few years later, that problem seems a distant memory. Northern Chinese dishes such as slender shreds of braised pig ears doused in ripping-hot chili oil come flying out of the kitchen. The delights never seem to end: Corn or pumpkin cubes are fried in rich, salty duck egg batter; sticky pig trotters are braised in sweet soy; and a heap of meaty rib tips comes perched atop sticky rice. This Chinese Guy will leave you begging for more.

At Dragon 1 Chinese Restaurant, it's important not to be fooled by the crumpled menu or the mismatched lavender and green banquettes. The mess of notebooks, crumbs, and takeout boxes piled behind the register should be only a distraction. Owner Alan Zhang is cooking some of Miami’s most intense, flavorful Chinese food. Though he was born in Tianjin, near the Chinese capital of Beijing, Zhang's menu focuses on the fiery fare of Sichuan province. There’s the canoe-size dish of braised beef piled high with as many dried chilies as thin slices of meat. It begins with a steamed pile of napa cabbage that's transferred to the bowl with a bit of its cooking liquid. The chilies are fried in Zhang's fire-engine-red oil with a handful of peppercorns, sesame seeds, and the thin slabs of fatty meat. Together they create an intensely spicy sauce with just a bit of fragrance thanks to the ad hoc vegetable stock. The heat is aggressive and addictive.Read our full review.

Some say Miami doesn't have good Chinese food. Still, those for whom Chinese is a must, Kim's will not disappoint. It is a solid option among the weaker alternatives -- enjoyable, provided you don't start trying to compare it to New York's Chinese fare. Delivery is quick and competent, which in this arena, is extremely important. The four-page menu features every kind of Chinese combination for which you could hope with photos of the less common dishes to ease confusion. Egg rolls are deliciously crunchy and finger-lickingly greasy, though the spring rolls check in at about half the size. A sound selection for main course would be the mu-shu chicken, the meat white and tender, the vegetables fresh (crunchy, not soggy), and the sauce light and lively. For those who may prefer a more wholesome grain, brown rice is available as a side with any meal. A wide array of vegetarian dishes are also offered, including a tasty eggplant with tofu dish. Portions are hefty, and once you make peace with the fact that Miami Chinese is not Manhattan Chinese, Kim's will hit the spot.