Blue Blossom

Named for qinghua, the delicate, floral-patterned blue-and-white porcelain dishes, Blue Blossom honors traditional craft with its confident, crowd-pleasing cooking. Inside the huge space in the middle of Midtown, the shareable dishes land somewhere between classic and camera-ready, like steamers of vibrant rainbow dumplings in red, green, purple and black.

The vibe: Lively, glossy and unmistakably buzzy, the blue-and-white porcelain throughout the space manages to avoid tipping into “theme” territory. During peak hours, the dining room’s lively, but you most likely won’t find yourself walking into an hour-long wait. 

The food: Go for the half-salted baked chicken, simply cooked with scallions and ginger, and the Peking duck, which arrives tableside with crispy skin and all the fixings. Don’t skip the shredded, sauteed potatoes, either, which are a rare find on the city’s Chinese menus. 

The drinks: The cocktails are as colorful (and photographable) as the dumplings: if you don’t feel like drinking a bright blue cocktail with curacao and clarified milk, you can go for a Pale Violet with aged rice wine and Cabernet Sauvignon, a Jade Green with rum and kiwi or a Rose Red with gin and strawberry.

Time Out tip: Come with a big group and order family-style. You’ll be happy for the extra hands when you’re tearing into the duck and passing all those plates around.