Imperial Cuisine

The specialty here is extraordinary noodles, handmade to order. Place an order for beef noodle soup or minced pork noodles and the chef appears at a long, prominently placed counter, forming dough and flamboyantly teasing it out to great length. He slams the dough against the counter, spins it out mid-air and tugs it all apart with the obvious joy of a performer playing to a captive audience. The noodle dishes are stellar, but don't overlook the xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, the famous bit of culinary magic in which each dumpling contains both meat and piping hot broth. Pork belly and oddly, for a Chinese restaurant, full sushi bar help round out a menu that also has the usual Chinese American favorites.