Beijing's Quanjude chain is gearing up for the New Year with special, festival dishes.

The Qianmen branch's menu includes beef ribs and milk-flavored duck breast with black pepper, slow cooked at a constant temperature, giving it the best taste and texture.

There are also duck dishes done in the Sichuan style.

For appetizer, try "mouth-watering" duck, which is boiled and brined, before being topped with a spicy sauce of chili, prickly ash seeds, mashed peanut and sesame.

Or, a spicy pot with duck blood, duck claw, pork tripe, besides mushroom and lettuce.

The Olympic Village branch offers duck tongue and bean curd soup, dry-fried beef slices, and brown-braised pork with chestnut.

Quanjude's festival gift boxes, including preserved eggs and white liquor, are available at its restaurants, and at major department stores and supermarkets.

(China Daily 01/22/2011 page12)