There was a story in my beloved Chicago Tribune about Chinese barbecue restaurants. They listed these as particularly good. We are going to go into the city on Saturday and try one. The first two on Argyle Street are not in Chinatown. The rest are. Sheri will probably try pork, and I want to try duck. The story said it is common that they chop the duck up whole, bones, head, everything, and serve it that way. You are not supposed to eat the head. It serves as kind of a stamp of authenticity. Should make for some good pictures to post.

Hon Kee Restaurant
1064 W. Argyle St.
773-878-6650
This by-the-books Cantonese joint directly east of the Argyle Red Line stop also has 150-plus other menu items.

Sun Wah Bar-B-Q Restaurant
1134 W. Argyle St.
773-769-1254
The takeout counter is a bit on the drab side, but the House Special Salt Baked Chicken is hard to beat.

BBQ King House
2148 S. Archer Ave., Chinatown Square
312-326-1219

2306 S. Wentworth Ave.
312-225-2652 (takeout only)

1835 S. Canal St.
312-492-7888 (takeout only)
The Chinatown Square location has a fairly elegant dining room. The barbecue pork here is particularly good.

Seven Treasures
2312 S. Wentworth Ave.
312-225-2668
A large sit-down area, with perhaps the biggest selection of Chinese BBQ items.

Wing Chan
2157 S. China Place
312-791-9398
A strictly-barbecue spot in Chinatown Square, featuring the usual, as well as pork spare ribs, beef stew and chicken feet.

This gastronomical window shopping can be a peculiar sight for Western eyes. Behind the steamy glass windows, the staples of Chinese barbecue--roast duck, soy sauce chicken, curry squid, barbecue pork--hang on meat hooks, bathed in a natural sheen of glistening juices, with head, neck, beak, tentacle or snout still attached, just to be unmistakably clear what animal you'll soon be devouring.

It is a scene repeated on every street corner in Hong Kong, and just as familiar in Chicago's Chinatown and along Argyle Street in Uptown.

This is authentic Chinese takeout. There is no orange pork, no chicken dishes named after General Tso in proper Chinese cooking--just as you'd likely not find fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant in Tuscany, much less endless salad or breadsticks.

Most telling is that these barbecue restaurants--with perhaps the tastiest and cheapest Chinese food this side of the Yangtze River--are rarely visited by non-Asians.

"We sell 30 chickens, 80 ducks, maybe 100 pounds of barbecue pork every day," said Wai Chee Yuen, manager of Wing Chan BBQ in Chinatown. "But not that many Americans come. It's usually Asian people: Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino."

While the language barrier can be intimidating, a venture into these restaurants can uncover some of the best food deals in Chicago.

The best way to go at a Chinese barbecue is a rice box. At most restaurants, you can get a healthy serving of pork, chicken and/or duck (mix and match to your desire), served in a heaping box of rice with vegetables for under $5.

Count on choosing from these five dishes:

Barbecue pork (char siu): Tender pieces of pork loin with a honey-like glaze. The darker and crustier the outside, the better. The most popular item among Western patrons. BBQ King House does a good rendition.

Roast pork (siu yook): Smoky chunks of pork with crispy crackling. The best roast pork has a thick fatty layer. It's fine to remove it. But in the words of Emeril Lagasse, "pork fat rules."

Roast duck (siu ahp): Duck meat is leaner than chicken, but duck skin is fattier. That makes for an interesting texture, and in concert with the slightly sweet and livery flavors, roast duck is your best bet at any Chinese barbecue.

Soy sauce chicken (see yow gai): Marinated in sweet soy and boiled, the chicken is chopped into bite-size chunks, bone and all. Always ask for a sachet of ginger-scallion relish (geung choung).

Salt baked chicken (yeem gohk gai): Not as intense as soy sauce chicken, but more flavorful in its "chickeniness." The salt baked chicken at Sun Wah Bar-B-Q in Uptown is one of the best.

For the unaccustomed, there are several issues to address.

First, there is no sweet-and-sour sauce. Don't even bother asking.

If you order fowl, be prepared for lots of bones. Chefs don't leave it in for inconvenience; they say bones make the dish more flavorful.

But that doesn't explain the head that comes with the whole chicken or duck. Like a scene out of "The Godfather," it's a frightening sight finding a chicken or duck head in the bottom of the carton. It's not meant to be eaten (though some people do), but rather, as a sign of respect that yes, that meat you're eating came from this (points to head) animal. Or it might be best to ask the butcher to leave it out altogether.