Duck, Triumphant

The nightmarishly inadequate elevator at Li Ning Department Store will cost you half the evening. Endure. Lao Beijing serves roast duck, the northern classic, on the ninth floor. The management has an eye for detail, authenticity and supreme bird quality. This restaurant is a focused class act in the duck universe, steamed hearts to grilled wings. Beijing roast duck goes from YY98 for a takeaway version to YY165 for a feast--probably the best in town, certainly the best value. Delicate wrapping, tangy bean sauce and extreme quality cuts make for a lovely traditional experience. A few minutes after ordering, the bird rolls in on a tray and instantly gets her crinkly warm and succulent skin carved off. Supremely juicy flesh follows. The remainder of the fowl makes her appearance in two customizable vegetable courses with shreds and gizzards. Dinner is concluded with a bowl of delightful thick soup. If Olympic conniptions or respiratory problems keep you from the capital--come here. --Katya Knyazeva