salmaland.com » LES/Chinatown

Chinatown: Xian Fine Foods

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:11:46 +0000

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 small English-muffin-like sandwiches piled high with stewed pork and cuminy lamb, and juggling a near-constant line. If it were just the novelty factor (lamb-face salad? Dude!), the crowds would have thinned out by now. But the noodles and all the slow-cooked lamb and pork permutations (spicy or cumin-tinged; hot or cold; in soups or salads or sitting on mountains of the handmade noodles) are spectacularly tasty. Just note: There’s no place to sit, unless you luck into one of the two cramped counter stools facing the window—and you don’t mind random passersby stopping and staring through the glass at you as you eat, which seems to be the way things roll at Xian. For more seating, hit the original Flushing location or the soon-to-open branch on St. Marks Place.

Lower East Side/Chinatown: Falai

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:47:13 +0000

Pic courtesy of Falai

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 your attention. Chestnut agnolotti, or mussel-stuffed whole-wheat pasta with cranberry bean cream and rosemary-garlic oil, or duck breast with salsify puree and kumquats: masterfully cooked, focused, fantastic. Also check out the spinoff down the street (Panetteria) and the bakery in Nolita (Caffe Falai).

Falai: 68 Clinton St. at Rivington St.; (212) 253-1960. Falai Panetteria: 79 Clinton St. at Rivington St.; (212) 777-8956. Caffe Falai: 265 Lafayette St. at Prince St.; (212) 274-8615.

Prices/Features: MOD, VGT (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

Lower East Side/Chinatown: Grand Sichuan

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:38:25 +0000

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, be warned: Communal tables only here. But of the multiple, confusingly related (or in some cases unrelated) Grand Sichuans in NYC, this is one of the best, consistently nailing dishes like salt-baked squid, eggplant in garlic sauce, spicy double-cooked pork, and prawns with chili sauce. On a recent Saturday night, a baseball-capped David Schwimmer was here with his family—but a celeb hang this is not. You might want to order two rounds of beer at once; the waitstaff can be slow to check back in, especially on madhouse weekend nights.

Grand Sichuan. 125 Canal St. between Bowery and Chrystie Sts.; (212) 625-9212.

Prices/Features: CHP, VGT, GRP (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

Lower East Side/Chinatown: Bacaro

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:30:18 +0000

Pic courtesy of Eater.com

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 the excellent Peasant on Elizabeth Street) snagged this bi-level space on Division Street, complete with an alluring basement made up of catacomb-like adjoining rooms. If you’re seriously saving pennies, or just want to try a bunch of wines non-committally, you can taste them by the 3oz pour. The mostly Veneto-area wines pair nicely with DeCarlo’s solidly tasty odes to Venetian cuisine: razor clams with white wine and lemon; whole-wheat pasta with anchovy sauce; pork shank over polenta. The price is nice too: Most dishes are under $20. After dinner, hit Clandestino bar around the corner (at 35 Canal St.).

Bacaro. 136 Division St. between Orchard and Ludlow Sts.; (212) 941-5060.

Prices/Features: MOD, GRP (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

Lower East Side/Chinatown: Kuma Inn

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:21:41 +0000

Pic courtesy of newyork.metromix.com

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 Thai chili-lime sauce, or pan-fried pork tonkatsu with watercress salad) and lighter seafood or veg options (drunken spicy shrimp, seaweed salad). And everything’s on the cheaper side. Not massive portions, but enough—and perfect for sharing. Keep in mind that Kuma is BYO; corkage fees range from $1 for beer to $5 for wine, on up to $10 for a liter-and-a-half bottle of sake.

Kuma Inn. 113 Ludlow St. between Delancey and Rivington Sts.; (212) 353-8866.

Prices/Features: CHP, VGT (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)

Lower East Side/Chinatown: Sorella

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:14:57 +0000

Pic courtesy of TastingTable.com

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 pretty damn affordable in these rocky times. The dishes, like grilled quail with bacon-cooked lentils or veal sweetbreads with quince-bacon marmalade, are mostly small-plates-oriented and priced to move, topping out at $15 (except for about three daily main-course specials). The pastas, like agnolotti stuffed with ricotta and walnut pesto, come in portions that are closer to what Italians actually eat when they eat pasta: small-ish but filling—if you take your time eating and savor every bite. If you want to carbo-load like a professional wrestler, you won’t feel sated here. But you will be won over by the narrow, chic bar room up front and the small dining room in back. Bonus: No bum-rush if you linger a bit without ordering dessert.

Sorella. 95 Allen St. between Broome and Delancey Sts.; (212) 274-9595.

Prices/Features: MOD, VGT, DRNK (See Welcome to Salmaland for key to letter abbreviations.)