Family Li Imperial Cuisine

This austere restaurant doesn't have a flashy sign (the door number 11 is the only way to track it), but it provides the most sophisticated and elaborate Chinese dishes you can imagine. It was founded by the Li Family, whose ancestors once headed the kitchen in Qing Dynasty for Empress Cixi. Legend has it that the Li Family memorized the invaluable family recipes in the 1970s before it got burned during the communist Cultural Revolution. Reservation is a must and there is no menu, a rule even Bill Clinton's entourage had to observe in 1998. Call to book the meal as early as possible then sit back to enjoy the Chinese emperor's taste. Signature dishes include jade tofu, which is made with green soybean, sliced Beijing-style smoked pork, deep-fried scallops and sweet and sour pork rib. No MSG is used by the Li Family.