Stop by Xian Fine Foods for the hand-pulled lamb noodles. Stay for the “spicy and tingly” lamb-face salad, the stewed pork “burger”, the liang pi “cold skin” noodles with sesame sauce and chili oil. Amazing what this tiny little storefront noodle stand can do, from pulling its own thick, stretchy, lusciously sopping noodles right at the counter, to frying up [...]

If sitting about four inches from Lou Reed at a restaurant doesn’t distract you from the food, then you’re in the right place. The Lower East Side Italian restaurant Falai manages to be both miniscule—just a handful of tables squeezed into a skinny space—and magically private, and the white surfaces ensure chef-owner Iacopo Falia’s food monopolizes [...]

The neon-lit Chinese spot Grand Sichuan, along the chaotic Bowery-Canal nexus, is not a first-date spot by any stretch—unless you want to prove your cheapness, or, well, your impeccable taste in Sichuan. Also, [...]

There’s a tiny corner of the Lower East Side that’s still sort of undiscovered, at least as of the precise minute this blurb is being written. All that may change in about ninety seconds. To create Bacaro, his beautifully chandeliered Venetian ciccetti (tapas) bar, Frank DeCarlo (who also owns Peasant on Elizabeth Street) snagged this [...]

Kuma Inn somehow avoids the rampant douchebaggery (sorry, overused word but most appropriate here) of the surrounding restaurants and bars on Ludlow, Orchard, Stanton, and Rivington. Must have something to do with its almost-invisible perch one level up from the street. Walk up a narrow stairway to the second floor and you’ll find a buzzing room—and, alas, a wait on weekends. Filipino-American chef and owner King Phojanakong’s menu has an appealing mix of spicy-meaty Asian-inspired dishes (like sauteed Chinese sausage with [...]

At a friend’s awesome wedding in Missouri last summer, the designated hotel happened to be hosting a Tiny Treasures convention. What are Tiny Treasures? Very creepy little dolls that are meant to look like real babies; and terrifyingly, they do. So what does this have to do with the Allen Street Italian restaurant Sorella? Nothing, except that it too is a tiny treasure; but it’s not creepy or terrifying. It’s just cool. And delicious, and [...]