"Ling is as committed to the presentation as they are the food. There’s one seating per night (at 6:30), and everyone sits around a long metal table next to the open kitchen where the staff prepares a procession of creative Chinese dishes. A server dramatically bangs a gong when the next course is ready, after which another small spectacle will land at your seat. Get ready for a wooden chest that opens to a plume of smoke revealing a cut of pork belly. There’s usually a lobster cream puff shaped like a little mouse and a dumpling molded into a UT longhorn. Fortunately, the theatrics aren’t just for show. Wine pairing: N/A, but there’s a long list of bottles available" - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs
