I loved Mapo tofu until I ate one in Chendu. That restaurant definitely is not for tourists and more likely where native people ate. Why I did not like it? Just too many peppercorns. One bite and your tongue could not taste anything else, seriously. I also felt natives do not eat Mapo Tofu that often, in fact, we were the only table that ordered Mapo Tofu. I think the Sichuan dishes in US are not genuine at all and now I can tell why.
How many peppercorns ? In US, you can count it by peppercorns and in Chendu, you count it by branches. Each branch could have around 50-80. Ouch!