Gordy's Sichuan Cafe

RestaurantsSpokane

In the whole «authentic foods» debate, Chinese food is one that often comes out looking bad, at least for those who've actually visited the country.

Noteworthy examples of first hand experiences can be found in David Sedaris's «Chicken Toenails, Anyone?» (an essay that put the Political Correctness Police into a state of frenzy), as well as Karl Pilkington's An Idiot Abroad:

Really, sit through the whole thing. Karl is a living legend.

Me, I have not visited China, so I will have to take a handful of B-list celebrities's word on the quality of authentic Chinese food. From what I understand, a bit of Americanization might not have hurt it it, but then, who am I to judge either way?

What I do know, is that Gordy's is a mainstay in our Best of… polls, and that we quite enjoy the spot. Classify the style any which way you want: Gordy's has never come out as a disappointment to us.

The curry and coconut tofu is a good example of what to expect here. Yes, it is described as «Thai», but we're OK with that. It might not be as spicy as the menu advertises, but the creamy sauce soaks nicely into the braised tofu, giving it a quite a flavor nonetheless.

For something fresher, we like the lemon chicken. The small bites have a nice crunch to them, and they're well flanked by a tart sauce that takes us to warmer climates. 

The hunan beef, as opposed to the tofu, actually has a good kick to it. Not super spicy, but should you find yourself unexpectedly chewing on a pepper, you might feel some sweat coming on. Bonus points for the shaoxing wine sauce which adds a sharpness to the palette.

How Chinese is any of this? Lord knows. My guess, based on the aforementioned essay and video, is probably not a lot, be it sichuan or otherwise. Yet, I don't care. It tastes good. 

Read what you like into all of this, then, but I feel my two main points stand: David Sedaris and Karl Pilkington are both hilarious; Gordy's is great.

Agree or disagree, those are our opinions, and we're sticking to them.