There's Chinese takeout, and then there's Chinese takeout. Since its opening in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood in 2010, Szechuan Spice has been receiving rave reviews from critics and patrons. With portions the size of placemats and spice levels that will warm a polar plunge participant, this isn't your typical chicken lo-mein and beef with broccoli Chinese restaurant, though both are on the menu. We recommend the chicken with double chili pepper (eat it with a water faucet nearby), the candy-sweet General Tao's tofu, and the bright, seductive, revelatory cold noodles. Takeout is prompt, and the portion sizes are almost always good for multiple meals. The restaurant's location at the bustling intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street makes it convenient to most of south Minneapolis, and its small parking lot makes it easy to swoop in, grab your food, and go. Put this one on speed dial.