Eating the dry pot style wok tossed beef at Lazy Sister in South Norwalk you might notice a slight but pleasant numbness coating your mouth in a way that will be unusual to those not used to eating Szechuan pepper-powered meals.
This is from “mala” a spicy numbing seasoning produced by a mix of Szechuan peppercorn and chili, said Maxwell Weiss owner of Lazy Sister, which had its soft opening in October and official opening in November.
“You get this little numbing feeling at the tip of your tongue," Weiss tells me. "People crave that.”
I know exactly what Weiss is talking about because I experienced it the day before we spoke during an incognito visit to Lazy Sister. During this visit, I fell in love with these mala flavors as well as Lazy Sister’s general mix of high-quality classic Chinese dishes — think everything from soup dumplings and wonton soup to cold noodles and chicken with broccoli — presented in a sleek modern bar and restaurant that is comfortable and fun.
Taste of Connecticut
Weiss, who grew up in Greenwich, owns H?seki, a six-seat Omakase sushi counter in Saks Fifth Avenue's Vault in New York City. He also runs the New York City-based catering company Ten Homakase, which specializes in bringing the Omakase tasting experience to homes and private events. He decided to open Lasy Sister after noticing a gap in the Chinese restaurant market in New York City.
“There are a lot of really high-end restaurants here that do Chinese food and are almost unapproachable,” he said. “And then there are a lot of kind of no-frills Chinese restaurants that are serving delicious food.”
He wanted to create something between the two that would provide the quality food of a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant with the feel of a more modern restaurant that was nice but not expensive. He also was interested in opening something back in his home state of Connecticut.
Earlier this year, he had the opportunity to purchase longtime restaurant Enchanted Szechuan on Washington Street in South Norwalk. He used that restaurant as a foundation for his new concept, retaining staff, particularly in the kitchen and keeping many items from the former restaurant in a section of the menu called Enchanted Szechuan Favorites. It’s an unusual backstory for a restaurant and I honestly wasn’t expecting it to work before my visit, but Weiss’s unorthodox vision for a Chinese restaurant is working — in fact it’s working really well.
The restaurant has a fun and playful vibe — a sign behind the bar urges visitors to “get lazy.” That’s easy to do when you’re having great food. I was immediately impressed with the soup dumplings. A favorite Chinese dish of mine, it is made with broth that is frozen into blocks that are wrapped in a dumpling dough and steamed right before they arrive on your plate. The result of this labor-intensive process here is a dumpling filled with an intensely rich broth meant to be sucked from the dumpling shell. It’s a must order.
A spicy cucumber salad appetizer brings the heat the name promises but balances with fresh and bright cucumber flavors. The aforementioned dry pot beef is another favorite. This is one of the Enchanted Szechuan items still offered on the menu and it’s a showstopper with perfectly cooked beef and that spicy and numbing mala.
Additionally, dishes I tried such as wonton soup and eggplant and garlic are among the best versions of these dishes I have had in Connecticut. The bar program is another strength.
There's a nice selection of craft beer and some fun takes on classic cocktails with Asian-inspired twists. I loved the Mezcal Mandarin Shrub. A savory cocktail that is powered by Amaraz Mezcal, one of my favorite varieties, and a mandarin spice shrub. An egg white gives the drink a foamy head and mouthfeel. Another drink, the Oolong Negroni, is a fan favorite at the restaurant and though I enjoyed trying it, I prefer a more traditional Negroni.
There really weren’t any negatives to my experience at the restaurant. The cold noodles were the only dish I might not get next time, though good, just not as good as other dishes I ordered. And there are so many other things to try including the beef-wrapped scallion pancake, one of the restaurant’s signature apps.
As for the name, Weiss said there are a few inspirations for it. One starting point was the lazy Susans that are common at many Chinese restaurants and make sharing different dishes across a large table easy. He also liked the familial-inspired names of many restaurants in New York City and wanted to hint at the family-style dining and family-friendly atmosphere of his new restaurant. Finally, he liked the play on words. “I wanted people to feel comfortable and we have this kind of ethos of getting lazy. The idea that you’re too tired to cook, you know, come get lazy with us.”
Whatever the reason, like the restaurant itself, the name Lazy Sister just works and I will definitely be getting lazy again in the future.
Erik Ofgang shares his opinions on food and drink in the state. He is the co-author of “The Good Vices” and has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Forbes and other publications. He pens a Connecticut Magazine column titled "Craft Cruising" about the state's beverage scene.