Red Pepper Framingham

I have heard good things about Red Pepper in Framingham, so I decided to make a road trip today and head down there and check the place out. They label themselves as Authentic Sichuan Chinese Cuisine, and after looking at the menu, I think I agree. All the common Sichuan dishes are there plus some rarely seen. Frog with pickled pepper anyone?

I decided to go with some of my favorite dishes to see how they stack up against the competition. I started with Dan Dan Noodles ($5.95), and it was a big bowl of noodles and pork with plenty of the preserved vegetables (Sichuanese ya cai) on top. This was served as a warm dish, and it was tasty.

Next was, naturally, Sliced Poached Pork with Fresh Garlic ($7.95). Tender pork with plenty of garlic and chili sauce. The serving looks bigger than what it was, there was a mound of bean sprouts underneath the pork. You can see some poking out at the bottom. So far, Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica has the best version and the biggest. 

The picture doesn't really show the size of the Deep-Fried Chicken with Dry Chili Peppers ($12.95). The plate was easily three times the size of the apps plates. Tender and crispy chicken and the heat level was OK, looks much worse than what it was. The prices are from the takeout menu, and they are not accurate, but fairly close.

Weird interior with a very low ceiling and it felt like you were sitting in the basement due to the lack of windows, but I'm happy in a restaurant where I'm the only white guy. Not a beef with broccoli in sight. They have been in business for a while, but they have no website for some reason. Update, the website for their Worcester location seems to have the same menu.