While the fooderati discuss notions of what Chinese cuisine in America should be, chef Christopher Lin and his partners, Jen Mattioni and Jonathan Pinto, ignore the chatter and just turn out great cooking, cocktails and service in a clamorous environment that grabs its style more from its Colfax Avenue surrounds than the takeout joints of our childhood memories. Lin draws from his family's culinary traditions and uses bold flavors to jolt you awake while still appealing to comforting memories. Familiar road signs like the General Tso's sauce that bathes custardy eggplant, or fried chicken made more addictive with the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorns and toasted red chiles guide you down a path that soon becomes a thrill ride of pig ear and tofu salad, head-on salt-and-pepper shrimp (go ahead and eat the crunchy shells!) and beef tongue with tripe.
Readers' Choice: Hop Alley