Thanks @passing_thru for getting a new thread going!
I was trying not to overtake the original topic by shortening my answers, but I know exactly what you mean here, @rosulate ! I remember ordering a noodle soup at Shaanxi and the vinegary punch took me right back to what my grandpa used to make, and he’s from Shanxi Province that shares a love of black vinegar with Shaanxi. A typical lunch was almost always noodle soup, be it hand-stretched, cat ear (orecchiette) shaped, or knife shaved, with chopped greens and whatever slivers of leftover meat from last night thrown in. These days I wished I had learned more from him, but the five year old me got sick of drinking sour soup really really fast. 
Jack’s Abby - they have different blackboard specials each time we went, but I remember loving the bluefish pate with pickled dilly beans. We’ve also got the smoked cod parsnip chowder (comes with a biscuit on top!) and a few different pizza and enjoyed all of those.
Westborough Korean Restaurant - unfortunately my experience was mostly workday lunch, but I love the kalbi lunch box. The box comes with a miso soup, salad, and 10-12 banchans (maybe less if you are dining alone) so it’s a seriously large meal. A lot of people go for various Korean hot pots that serves 2-3; I’ve tried the goat stew and enjoyed it (but it’s quite gamey so you are warned)
China Gourmet - I’ve only gone once so I’m speaking based on what we’ve tried. I think we got the spicy pig ears, pork with spicy pepper (the best dish to test authenticity according to my Hunanese friend), and eggplant with salted egg yolks. The spicy pig ear cartilage and pork with spicy pepper are competent but could be better: pepper didn’t have the charred marks that was supposedly a signature of this dish, and pork is a bit lean (need more pork belly). However, the eggplant was excellent; it was steamed whole with stir-fried minced pork and salted egg yolks on top - the topping is super addictive! My friend and I both confessed to still thinking about the dish a week later.
