You might want to grab the latest version of the Lonely Planet: China to browse both before and during your travels (the utility of the LP isn't nearly as great as it was 20 years ago because it will never be as current as info you can find on your phone, but I still happen to like its consistency of structure and readability; more upscale guides like Fodor's are not well suited for places like Western China IMO, even if they are better suited for your particular demographic in the general sense).

Regarding hot pot, I suggest you just go with your gut, maybe inspect the meat from a visual standpoint, and roll the dice. You can also check out dianping if you read Chinese, but I don't put a great deal of stock in the reviews there (just like TA, many are planted). This shouldn't cost more than Y150 pp.