Best of Boston

The kung pao’s decent enough, but you’re here for the incendiary Sichuan—meat, fish, veggies, noodles, and more-adventurous morsels (duck tongue, pig kidney) that get wok-charred, deep-fried, braised, steamed, and/or boiled in cornstarch-"velveted" swaths, then lavished in glistening puddles of neon-orange chili oil. The punishment comes in waves: serious Scoville heat ("la") followed by a lip-numbing sensation ("ma"). Order the mala dry pot and you can choose your own adventure, Fire + Ice–style, from the refrigerated case. Then brace yourself.