Lajiao Asian Bistro & Noodles, Naperville

Thirty years ago, Chef Wu's generations-old beef noodle soup recipe became the culinary foundation for a restaurant where authentic Chinese dishes fuse with one another to create a fresh, new cuisine. Flavors taken from the Sichuan region of China take on modern, continental influences, cloaking steak, seafood, and tofu in rich, piquant sauces with citrus, umami, and cream bases. Beloved American Chinese classics such as shrimp and walnuts are updated with the inclusion of unexpected touches such as crisp candied walnuts, and others, including tea-smoked duck, adhere to traditional flavors taken from local Earl Grey rivers.