Lao Sze Chuan, Chicago

With a fourth-floor view of the Magnificent Mile, Lao Sze Chuan must rely on its cuisine to transport diners to the Sichuan province. But it succeeds in that gambit with heaping plates of dry-chili chicken, pan-fried bao sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and pea-pod leaves sautéed with garlic. The house specialty, peking duck, is carved tableside, its fragrant housemade sweet sauce greeting diners' noses with every slice. Refreshing drinks, including Tsingtao beer and Hennessy with green tea, provide authentic complements to the food.