Tang Pavilion

The place has a pedigree: It was opened by Chiang Kai-shek’s family chef in 1993, and the calligraphy scrolls on the walls are the work of renowned art collector and painter C.C. Wang. Some of the choicest Suzhou and Shanghai delicacies—many rarely found in the U.S.—must be ordered 24 hours in advance. Eight Jewelry Duck, for example, is stuffed with sticky rice and other ingredients and then cooked at low heat in a clay pot. On the standard menu, tung-po pork (the belly cut) is simmered in soy sauce and sugar and then steamed immediately before serving, rendering the fatty meat as tender as tofu.