Firstborn

After one bite of duck sausage wrapped in tofu skin, it hit us: The reimagined Chinese food at Firstborn isn’t just unique to Chinatown, but the entire city. Mapo tofu takes the form of spicy steak tartare decorated with tiny figs. Roasted scallops are presented over silky egg custard. Cumin lamb pops with flavor like the kind skewered on toothpicks, but here it’s a three-inch-thick lamb saddle in tangy Sichuan peppercorn jus. The green-tiled dining room in Mandarin Plaza exudes a polished cool that makes it a sexy date night pick, and the elegant cocktails are just as impressive as the food. We were already scheming our next visit before the second mandarin tea negroni landed.