Chef Hsu's Hunan Star

Chef Hsu's Hunan Star Restaurant Review:

When faced with choosing only one dish from the 32 chef’s specialties, a good call would be the crispy sesame shrimp, sliced and cooked in a sweet-and-spicy sauce. But, typical of Hunan cuisine, there are many other good options in a variety of cooking techniques, from barbecuing to braising to bamboo-steaming. Many dishes are authentically spicy; a couple, like the chop suey, are blatantly Americanized but tasty nonetheless. It’s also worthwhile to inquire about off-the-menu dishes. If you still can’t decide, the family meal deals are a budget-friendly way to sample the diversity chef Hsu cooks up. What sets his cuisine apart are the little ingredients --- sesame and black bean sauce, garlic and chile pepper --- well-utilized whether they’re with eggplant, noodles, seafood or flank steak. When coming for the first time, be forewarned: chef Tom Hsu’s restaurant is accessible only from the eastbound lanes on Manchester Road.