Red Pepper

The three-item BBQ rice plate was a revelation: char siu pork with a lacquered, honey-crimson crust, crispy-skinned roast duck with fat that had rendered to a whisper, and soy chicken with a silky, gelatinous skin, all fanned over steamed jasmine rice with a drizzle of ginger-scallion oil. At $14.95, this is the kind of plate that makes you reconsider every other lunch option within five miles. Red Pepper specializes in Chinese BBQ, the roasted and braised meats you see hanging in Chinatown shop windows, and they execute it with the precision of a kitchen that does one thing obsessively well. The Mongolian tofu, wok-fried in a sweet-savory sauce with scallion, was excellent for the non-meat eater at our table. The space is small and utilitarian, the service is fast, and everything is designed for takeout. This is a hidden gem in the truest sense, the kind of place regulars protect like a secret.