The saltiness was more of a problem with the meat than with the vegetables, which were the highlights of the many dishes we tried. Listed under the "Iron Pot Specials" section, both the cabbage and the cauliflower dishes were commendable. The cabbage, cooked with smoked pork and chile, was crisp and naturally sweet, a very enjoyable vegetable that you wanted to continue eating. Likewise, the cauliflower, which was prepared with the same base of pork and chile, was delightful. The florets were cooked just so, exhibiting crispy-crunchy textures and dulcet notes punctuated here and there with the salty spice of smoked pork.

The same smoked pork features prominently in many of the dishes at Spicy Hunan. Smoked meats are a specialty of the Hunan region, and the restaurant loves using them. Under the section "Hunan Specialties," you'll find dishes such as smoked pork with leek (very good, but it needed more leek), smoked pork with dry bean curd, smoked pork with bamboo shoots and so on. Spicy Hunan offers smoked beef dishes, too, but the one dish we tried was rather dry and forgettable. The smoked pork, however, is delicious. Sliced thin, it tastes like a cross between bacon and smoked pork belly, adding both flavor and salt.

From the vegetable portion of the menu, a plate of potato noodles in vinegar, supposedly a traditional Hunan dish, was fun and different. The starchy noodle shreds had a pickled quality to them that imparted a light crunchiness to the potato, and the acidity of the dish provided good contrast with the bold, salty savoriness so prominent in the proteins. A shiitake mushroom and bok choy dish was also excellent. Slathered in light brown garlic sauce, the mushrooms were huge, plump and fresh, and the bok choy cooked just al dente, the stalks and leaves vividly green in hue, and a pleasure to savor.

Spicy Hunan is clean and bright, and obviously new. The decor is Asian in theme but contemporary, with cream-colored walls, directional lighting, framed black and white posters, and hanging straw light fixtures. The four-top tables are a shiny dark wood, while the round two-tops and larger ten-tops are fancier hand-carved wood tables inlaid with marble, resembling those you see in Chinese films or tearooms.

Service was friendly and hospitable, and small details -- like the fact that hot tea is served in an attractive pounded-metal copper teapot, the plateware is made of lacquered wood and there's a no-corkage BYOB policy -- make dining at Spicy Hunan a pleasurable experience. It's best to research what to order before you go, but if you happen to forget, it's easy at a restaurant that's small and as busy as Spicy Hunan. Just look at the tables around you, see what looks appetizing and point.