Bistro Na's

You are paying, in part, for the ornately decorated dining room, but I've yet to find a better traditional Chinese restaurant for special occasions than Bistro Na’s. The Temple City restaurant serves imperial cuisine—in other words, an age-old style of cooking, once exclusively reserved for the ruling class, that pulls from all over China but roots itself firmly in Beijing. It’s easy to get lost in the extensive, picture-heavy menu, but focus in on the signatures like the delicate crispy-skinned shrimp and the braised kurobuta pork belly. One highly sought after menu item is the delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Peking duck, which requires at least one week’s pre-order, at least in theory, but can often be booked out a month in advance. (Only a few are available each night.) To be honest, there’s a certain art to ordering here, but with the right combination, Bistro Na’s is one of the best expressions of Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles. In general, I recommend ordering a few meat and seafood items, at least one rice or noodle dish, one vegetable and dessert.