Char siu bao, or roasted pork buns, come to the table warm, their golden-brown exteriors concealing a wonderfully sweet, sticky braised pork. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
A fragant tea-smoked duck, which would be great with a glass of spicy Syrah. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
The fabulous har gow (shrimp dumplings)—minced shrimp in a translucent wheat noodle that avoids becoming gummy (a common flaw) because it doesn’t sit on a cart. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
The quickly fried salt-and-pepper lobster at Red Pearl is a showstopper. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
Dan-dan noodles, a fixture on the streets of Chengdu, have a smoky sauce that burns even as the noodles soothe. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
Owner/chef David Wong has eschewed the trappings of the upscale Chinese restaurant to create a place that, as he puts it, “combines the best of the hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pop that’s all about the food and a place that’s got a nice ambience.” Photograph by Scott Suchman
Outtakes: Reviewing Red Pearl
Red Pearl is comfortable but not transporting. That’s by design.