Xi'an Famous Foods

Flushing – 41-28 Main St

Chinese

Grab your sun-blocking umbrella, Hello Kitty sunglasses, and a deck of Pokémon cards, and head up to Flushing for a Chinese treat that will leave your taste buds spinning in circles.

Hop off the 7 Train at the last stop, head South on Main Street, then pass 41^st Ave before hanging a right on 41^st Road.  Yes, 41^st Ave is right next to 41^st Road.  And yes, I do denounce this crafty attempt at deceit.   The Flushing city planner obviously gave Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” a thorough read.  The address itself, 41-28 Main St, says it all.  Good luck picking the right door to enter.

Walking into Xi’an Famous Foods is like beginning a game of Dungeons and Dragons.  Just replace the Dragons with Chinese Noodle dishes and Lamb Burgers with a hint of Middle Eastern flavor.  Yes, that means you're still in a Dungeon. 

Not quite your state-of-the-art, big box Westfield shopping center, and not so properly named, Golden Shopping Mall is home to some of Flushing’s best Asian food station’s, including Xi’an Famous Foods.  The mall is a maze of amazing, cheap, and unique food court-style restaurants.

Xi’an is a famous city and the first capital of China, hence the name.  It is also known as a resting place for the famous terra cotta soldiers and a starting point of the Silk Road.  Doesn’t take a Pikachu card or a Terracotta army to realize swapping this gem for your neighborhood Chinamerican hole is a good trade.

An order of Liang Pi “Cold Skin” Noodles, Savory Cumin Lamb Burger, Stewed Pork Burger, Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles, and the Spicy & Tingly Beef Hand-Ripped Noodles are all worth a try; especially at a total cost of about $28.  Consider yourself warned - “Cold Skin” noodles are hot, yet another act of deceit.

The lamb and pork burgers are arguably the best $2.50-$3.00 I’ve ever spent, and undoubtedly the best value you can get for the money.  Flushing’s Main Street isn’t exactly Memory Lane, so write down this order: A1, B1, B2, N1, N2. 

Xi’an Famous Foods, you’ve sunk my battleship.

Hop Kee

Chinatown - 21 Mott Street

Chinese

I usually try to avoid Chinatown.  It makes me claustrophobic.  Narrow crowded streets filled with garbage; an all-around lack of personal space.  This may be the year of the Dragon, but in New York City it's always the year of the Rat.  

I walked down the stairs toward the underground Cantonese kitchen into what looked like an elementary school cafeteria.  Where are the Crayolas?  Oh, they were already used to label the 500 pictures on the wall of Anthony Bourdain and Bill Cosby.

Hop Kee is known for their family-style specialty fare.  Come to Hop Kee to eat the traditional version of Chinese food that you grew up eating on Sundays, or experiment with lesser-known dishes like the Cantonese crab, snails, or pan-fried flounder.   

The crab Cantonese style smells and appears phenomenal.  However, diving into this dish is about as intimidating as trying to fix Charles Barkley’s golf swing -- where do I even begin?  I’ll begin by waiting until the summer to douse my blue crab with Old Bay; Maryland style.  For now, I’ll leave the Cantonese crab and Barkley’s attempt to hit the links to a braver man.  

Speaking of brave men, you won't find General Tso on this menu.  Looking to protect your dinner from the unknown exotic dishes?  Start off with the egg rolls and a hot cup of tea.  I recommend the Pork Chop Peking Style with an order of fried rice.  This should bring you back to Sunday with the family at the something something Garden.  

Just beware of the Anthony Bourdain - King Midas menu touch.

Review featured on Im In The Kitchen

BaoHaus

East Village – 14^th Street between 2^nd and 3^rd Ave

Taiwanese

Eddie and Evan Huang come to New York City fresh off the boat.  Their words, not mine.  Our boys bring with them a unique Taiwanese-Chinese meets hip-hop Gua Bao flavor.   No need to wait till 2013 for Fast and Furious 6 when you can experience it seven days a week in the East Village.  

 

These guys don’t just think outside the box, they tear it up.  Enter this hole-in-the-wall to rap music bumping, a street graffiti mural, and a shrine to Knicks’ point guard Jeremy Lin, extra MSG.  Seating is limited with two tabletops and a bar against the back wall.   

I walked in expecting to run into Vin Diesel and Paul Walker chowing down some Gua Boa with the likes of Tyrese, Ludacris, and The Rock along with ten other B-list celebrities.  Where the flip is Mia Terreto?  

The menu is simple yet creative.  BaoHaus is best known for their braised pork belly Chairman Bao and the all-natural fried chicken Birdhaus Bao.  Not the best bao in the City, but for $2.99 a pop, its worth taking a spin. The Oyster Po Bao made my stomach the epicenter of a magnitude 8.9 earthquake.  I only wish Tums had a Nos button.

At BaoHaus they don’t cook for pink slips.  If you want a 60 second Bao, you’re in the wrong place.  Service was not fast.  I got a little furious.  Maybe the Saturday late night pit stop had something to do with it, but you won't find me drifting back to these Bao Kings anytime soon.  

Review featured on Im In The Kitchen