Unlike the all-you-can eat buffet and great simmering bowls of downtown’s Taiwanese-style Hot Pot City (see page 19), Beijing Hot Pot is a communal affair: A bowl of broth is placed in the center of the table over a gas burner, and diners order various bits of raw meat, fish and vegetables to cook in it. It’s a slow, luxurious way to eat, and the broth grows richer with each addition. Order the spicy broth, which isn’t all that spicy, and the combination for two (it comes with beef, pork, a pile of veggies, chicken meatballs and handmade noodles, all for $24.95). If you’re feeling flush, add on the shrimp balls ($6.95), which are made to order and taste astonishingly fresh, with a nice chewy-then-crunchy texture. Cook the noodles last, and slurp them down with the remaining broth. Then fall asleep.