Restaurant: 19 Town
Location: 18065 Gale Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748. (626) 669-7089
Date: September 3, 2023
Cuisine: Modern Sichuan Chinese
Rating: Very tasty, unusual modern style
19Town is the new modern fusion Sichuan place by the folks that brought us Sichuan Impression.
Tucked away in the corner of a giant parking lot with a Home Depot.
It’s going for a more bar-like feel.
There are a couple of private rooms.
We had this large table in a nook at the back of the resteraunt.
The menu.
Small cold drinking “snacks” are traditional in Chengdu.
Spinach Ball with Black Sesame Paste. Bonito Flake. Tightly packed in there.
Wasabi Edamame. Soybean sauce. Good for edamame.
Assorted Pickles. Bell pepper, lotus root, pickles, cauliflowers. Really crunchy, really hot, and really vinegared. Loved them.
Oil Bath Mushroom. Shiitake mushrooms, termite mushrooms. Nice little mellow mushrooms.
Bamboo Shoots Salad. Cordyceps flower, sesame oi. Crunchy with a bit of heat.
Shisito Numbing Tofu. Avocado, roasted green chili sauce, green Sichuan peppercorns. Delicious. Nice soft texture and some good heat and flavor from the salty sauce.
Cucumber with Sesame Paste. Elegant.
Dry-aged Salmon Tartare. Avocado, fennel, pickle capers, crisp wonton chips. A bit sweet, but very interesting flavors.
Slow-cooked Beef Tongue. Salt and spring onion sauce, red onions, garlic. Really tasty with some nice zing.
Scallop Ceviche. Shallots, yuzu sauce, pickles. Had that limey sour quality and I really enjoyed.
Grilled Octopus. Lime, vinegar, sauce of sous vide egg with black truffle. Pretty much like classic Spanish octopus.
Jiaoma Steak Tartare. Medium-rare ribeye steak pickled egg yolk, green onion, capers, peppercorn powder, rice crackers. Texture like a western tartare, but there was a very distinct Sichuan peppercorn flavor which I really enjoyed.
Sichuan Style Spicy Bullfrog. Chili oil, orange peel, dried chilis, baby arugula. One of the best Chinese frog dishes I’ve had. Yeah there were still the bones, but it had this nice flavorful spice to it.
Fire Belly. Kurobuta Pork, Butterhead lettuce, shisito peppers, dried chilis. Some good heat, but not overwhelming. Nice porky flavor.
Flaming Pork Jowl. Fresno Pepper, peanut butter, Everclear 120 Moonshine. Not spicy, with a distinct rich porcine note. Quite lovely.
Sauced Crispy Shrimp. Eggplant, garlic, green onions, roasted peppers, white flour. Really delicious and very fried.
Cheese Mapo Tofu. Roasted peppercorn powder, mozzarella cheese, baguette. The cheese really works. They do, however, chop up the tofu very fine in this version and I prefer the larger silky cubes.
Jasmine Tea-smoked Duck Leg. Cantaloupe, lavender, rosemary, thyme. Perfectly cooked. Both cured and juicy. Nice crispy skin as well. Interesting “alchohol” flavor? Delicious.
Farm-fed Silkie Chicken with Spicy Sauce. Chili oil, konjac knots, green onions. Great dish. Closely related to bang bang chicken and spectacular.
Slow-cooked Beef Ribs. Roasted pineapple, Fresno peppers. Well done, but tender.
Grilled Turbot with spices. Interesting like this with all the spices. But Turbot is best simply steamed.
Gnocchi con le Cozze. Mussel, garlic, pickled pepper, mozzarella cheese. Quite enjoyable.
Slow-cooked Oxtail. Dried-pickled Chinese mustard greens, dried chili pepper, rice, quinoa. Lots of bones as usual straight up.
Mixed up. Really nice and comforting when mixed up (without the bones).
Creamy Seafood Stew Noodle. Mussel, squid, shrimp, scallop, dairy. Interesting. Mild. Not my favorite dish of the night but certainly fine.
Waffle Fries with Salted Egg Yolk. Waffle fries!
Grilled Dry-aged Duck Breast. Sweet and sour vegetables. Cooked almost the same way as the leg — also fabulous.
Lamb Shank Paella. Carrots, peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, sugarcane, saffron. This was very addictive too, particularly the rich with the rich and flavorful meat.
served with pickles.
Black Sesame Cheese Tart. Barley.
Lemon au Courant Sorbetto and Mud Pie Gelato.
The wines.
Overall, 19 Town was REALLY good. It’s the most unusual Chinese cooking I’ve had in a while and is very fusion and hybrid, but instead of just making me want some “real” Chinese food, mostly these dishes were just excellent unto themselves. Occasionally I like the traditional versions better, like with the texture on the Mapo Tofu — and I love my traditional Chinese. But this was delicious and very interesting. It doesn’t replace traditional at all, but is a great compliment. Service was excellent too.
Yarom and the chef.
