The southwest corner of Irving Avenue and Jefferson Street is unassuming, with glass walls, hardly uncommon, below the fading, hand-painted sign of the last business to occupy the space.

This is General Deb’s at 24 Irving Ave. Awash with bold red neon, General Deb’s is a new restaurant, just two weeks old, serving China’s famous Sichuan cuisine. It is the newest restaurant from Kevin and Debbie Adey, the owners of Faro, the popular joint in Bushwick that does hand-made pasta. 

Sichuan cuisine is defined in large part by the dried, red Chinese chilis used in sauces and pastes and Sichuan pepper corns. Together they create what’s usually referred to as a “numbing” heat — you get the spiciness but also a numb-like tingling sensation that facilitates the consumption of more, spicier foods.