You're right, Tara. That sounds daft.
I've seen
Szechwan spelled
Szechuan or
Sichuan so I have absolutely no idea as to the proper way to spell the thing. But I do know that there's a
Sichuan Pavilion in Rockville, MD that has the best damn mapo tofu in the city! It looks like it's in a sort of abandoned shopping center. The first time we went, I drove past the thing three times just to make sure we were in the right place. But if you like you some spicy Chinese food, this is damn sure the right place. It seems like it's a great local spot because every time I've been in there, it's been packed. They're not terribly fussy about decor or cooking all modern fusiony bullshit. This is good, solid, real Chinese food. So if you're ready to graduate from fakey mall Panda Excuse for Chinese Food, head on out to Rockville and prepare to have your taste buds kicked square in the spicy zone.