Mission Chinese Food

It's safe to say that no one does Chinese food like Oklahoma native Danny Bowien, whose iterations of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco and New York City have hooked obsessive fans from coast to coast. This dark, clubby, bi-level venue takes chances with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns as well as firing up pepperoni pizza (because why not?). The old-school menu feels like a booklet from a half-century ago, but the offerings are altogether au courant: take kung pao pastrami, for example, or a tray of sea urchin with squid ink naan.